TRADE AND MARKET I NG Famous Chuño provides Peruvian growers with better income AQUAPAN SUPPORTS GROWERS OF INDIGENOUS VARIETIES. least two generations of indigenous varieties and cultivated at least fifty of them, have received 850 soles (about 200 euros). This corresponds to a monthly salary for these poorer farmers. De Haan tells us that the organisations involved participate free of charge, so that 100% of the proceeds go to the affiliated growers. Gerard Backx (l) and Stef de Haan (r) want to invest in preserving biodiversity in the Andes. During the World Potato Congress in Peru, the ‘Día de la Papa’ (the Potato Day) was also organised at the same time. In addition to all kinds of festivities around the potato, the growers from the various regions meet each other. An exchange of indigenous varieties takes place here between the various growers. One of the exhibitors was the Aquapan growers’ assocation, which aims to support farmers who maintain the biodiversity of the indigenous varieties. Since the year 2013, the Aquapan growers’ association has been active in supporting and supervising local growers who cultivate indigenous varieties on their farms. Stef de Haan, consultant of the project, is a former employee of the CIP potato institute in Lima. He found it frustrating to see that there is a lot of talk about benefit sharing at congresses, but that the money only slowly trickles down to the families who do the work on the land. Since its establishment, growers who have maintained at Since the start of the project, HZPC in Joure has been involved in the initiative. ‘We think it important that these people maintain seed of these varieties’, explains CEO Gerard Backx of the company from the province of Friesland. ‘By maintaining these indigenous varieties, we retain an important source of biodiversity. If it’s lost, you can never fall back on it again. With potatoes, it’s especially difficult to keep a variety in a gene bank. It’s much more efficient to do it in nature. But then you do have to invest in it, emphasises Backx. Every year, HZPC contributes 15,000 euros to the project. ‘We already use some of these indigenous varieties in our diploid breeding programme’, adds the HZPC CEO. De Haan says that fifty families are currently affiliated and that the goal is to expand to 150. In order to support the growers, each area has its own regional representative. These people come together once a year to learn. They then share this knowledge with the growers in their area. yourself, but also about adding extra value. We call that helping achieve the dream of every entrepreneur’, Van Elsen explains. Biodiversity is maintained This project doesn’t only work out well for Quito and his fellow growers in Coopagros, but the potato also benefits. Projects such as these help preserve biodiversity in Peru. Quito grows more than two hundred different varieties of potatoes, which he plants criss-cross in his field. The ‘main crop’ is planted from October to December and harvesting starts in May. This is the rainy season and there is enough water then to grow these Papas nativas (the wild and indigenous varieties). After the winter period, he grows a second crop from August to October. He doesn’t grow these at a high altitude, but in the lower areas, because it’s too dry during this period to cultivate potatoes in the high mountains. He grows potatoes on the same plot for three consecutive years, after which he gives the soil a five-year rest. Quito doesn’t cultivate any other crops at this altitude. The fallow period is necessary to get the soil ready again for another cultivation cycle. To show that the soil is difficult to cultivate, another member of the cooperative demonstrates the harvesting by using a pickaxe to break open the ridges. Harvesting a metre quickly shows the wide range of varieties that Quito can sell on the market. Because of the difficult conditions, 150 man-days of work are usually needed per hectare. During the harvest month, he hires ten permanent workers to get the harvest done in time. From the beginning of June it can freeze quite hard during the nights and the potatoes should preferably be out of the ground by then. He tells us 16 Potato World 2019 • number 1 Pagina 15

Pagina 17

Heeft u een presentatie, digi-magazine of web club bladen? Gebruik Online Touch: artikel online uitgeven.

Potatoworld 2019/1 Lees publicatie 51Home


You need flash player to view this online publication