Ambato
The consumption of native potatoes of the varieties yana shungo (‘black heart’) and puca shungo (‘red heart’) is intended to be preserved through processing as snacks.
Grown in areas of Tungurahua, these varieties have been planted for years, but prices were not motivating farmers.
Luis Montesdeoca, administrator and field technician of Agropapa Tungurahua, which brings together around 180 potato producers from that city, explained that one drawback that was detected is that, when the product varieties were harvested, there was no purchase interest.
This has caused farmers to lose their desire to continue producing native types of potatoes. These potatoes are produced in Píllaro and Quero, as well as in the parishes of Juan Benigno Vela and Pilahuín, in Ambato.
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Montesdeoca said that a little more than ten years ago an agreement was made with a company in order to supply native potatoes for industrialization and subsequent export.
But, after 2020, the producers saw the possibility of having their own brand to serve the local market, starting first from rural areas. This is how Yapu Chips was born, which is promoted as an alternative so that the product continues to be cultivated and there is a space for farmers to market the varieties; also, to encourage consumption in the local population.
In Ecuador, tuber consumption is low compared to countries like Colombia and Peru, which reach 50 kilos per year per person. In the country it reaches less than 20 kilos per inhabitant.
With the birth of the Yapu Chips brand, which has the slogan “Our cultural treasure”, the trade and consumption of the industrialized product is promoted as snack.
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The idea of processing the native potato had the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, which provided the collection center in the Montalvo parish, in Ambato; while some of the equipment had the support of Trias and the Provincial Government of Tungurahua.
Contact is currently being made with a company for distribution.
The rescue and conservation of native potato varieties yana shungo (‘black heart’) and puca shungo (‘red heart’) is the result of joint projects between the National Institute for Agricultural Research (Iniap) and the International Potato Center (CIP).
Both worked with the objective of safeguarding the biodiversity of this product, especially in the provinces of Bolívar, Chimborazo and Tungurahua.
Montesdeoca explained that the investigations carried out by Iniap and CIP since 2006 made it possible to determine that native potatoes, due to their natural reddish, purple or black pigmentation, have antioxidants and nutrients, such as iron and zinc. In this way, consumption can be better promoted within children’s diets.
Conservation and genetic improvement
In rural areas there are producers who conserve native potatoes, especially for self-consumption. Montesdeoca highlighted that the producers, who for the most part do not exceed one or two hectares, buy native varieties at fixed prices throughout the year.
They pay between $16 and $17 per quintal, which guarantees that they have a secure income knowing that there is little commercial interest in these tubers in the market.
With them, the rational use of agrochemicals is also promoted to continue in the line of clean and organic production. In 2022, the product was well received during a fair trade meeting in Belgium and at the World Potato Congress in Ireland.
The administrator and field technician of Agropapa Tungurahua indicated that with these practices they seek to obtain certification to enter the European market in 2023.
For her part, Mayra Muriel, responsible for marketing and marketing in the Directorate of Production of the Provincial Government of Tungurahua, said that they are working on projects to strengthen the tuber marketing chain and thus rescue it.
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He assured that through Agropapa Tungurahua, which is legalized by the Superintendency of Popular and Solidarity Economy (SEPS), the producers were certified as potato seed growers. The endorsement was given by Iniap in coordination with Trias, a Belgian foundation that supports the organization.
Muriel pointed out that the objective of rescuing ancestral potatoes is to ensure food sovereignty and seek production alternatives with a rationalization of chemicals.
The official explained that even with this clean cultivation process, it will be sought that the members of Agropapa can be certified in the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and thus the native potato with added value can be marketed in other countries.
From the Iniap, the CIP and the Tungurahua Agricultural Strategy, multiplication and genetic improvement are also promoted, as well as the selection that the farmers themselves make cycle by cycle, saving and selecting the best seeds for crops. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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