The Papas gives colours to the “Plaza of Arms”
Organized by the regional government of Junín together with commercial companies, the fair has been successful among the farmers: 100 % of the expected participants attended and among them were some famous potato producers of the region. With an average of six kinds of potatoes per participant, the region has proudly shown that the “papa” was not dead: no less than 181 different kinds of papas are produced in the region.
Starting at 9 o’clock, the farmers of the area arrived in Tarma. First step of their day: a competition to reward the best potato booths. The jury was composed of potato specialists from university and from the ministry of Agriculture. Taking into account criteria such as quality of the specialties, their diversity and the technical knowledge of the producer, they gave out rewards. The five best exhibitors were rewarded with prices from 20 000 to 100 000 soles, i.e. 50 to 250 euros. The good advertising they received helped them achieve better sales.
Potato, a traditional food to be preserved
The consuming rate of potatoes in Peru is 88 kilos per citizen per year, i.e. less than the consuming rate registered in countries such as France or Belgium (around 100 kilos per citizen per year). For several years, Peruvians have turned to other products as the basis of their daily meals. In the early 70s, food habits started to change when the government started to subsidize rice, wheat and corn production. Today, the potato is associated with the image of a poor and neglected female farmer, while white rice is associated with the image of a chic lady from Lima. The papa criolla, a white potato produced along the costs, turns out to be more competitive than the local colored potatoes, because they are better suited to be sold on the market.
But in Peru, the papa nativa is part of the traditional Andean farming. The trade fair aims at bringing more value to a product whose varieties have suggestive names in quechua: ‘Morning flower’, ‘Charming butterfly’ or ‘Midnight passion’. The visitors enjoyed traditional food cooked with potatoes. They even started to run out: according to Gloria Dávila, fair organizer and staff of the regional government, “demand was so high that the producers did not have enough potatoes to sell”. This high demand shows the success of the fair and more widely the success of the papas.
The local companies, partners of biodiversity
The event has achieved its goals and the papas have seduced the visitors. Several producers have created commercial relationships and have signed contracts with local and national companies such as Agrocop or Wong, the leading chain of supermarket stores in Peru. Some of these companies have committed to buy directly from the producers. Strengthened by the support of the Peruvian President Alan García himself and by the United Nations, which has named 2008 ‘the international year of the potato’, the Peruvian producers expect to return all the nobility to this thousand year old product that their Inca ancestors granted it.
