Potato Review

Peru expects an increase in potato exports in 2021 PERU, which recently held its 16th National Potato Day, could see its exports reach $5 million this year, according to a report in Fresh Plaza. Juan Miguel Quevedo, a specialist of the Midagri potato chain, within the framework of the ministry’s “Papa Pa’Ti, Lo Bueno Se Comparte” campaign, said the country exported 815 tons of potatoesin 2019 and 17,160 tons in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. “We estimate Peru will export up to 18,000 tons of potatoes in 2021,” he said. According to Quevedo, US demand for Peruvian potatoes has grown, mainly for processed, precooked, and frozen foods, while European markets prefer native and processed Peruvian potatoes. Quevedo also highlighted that Bolivia had become one of the main buyers of fresh potatoes produced in the regions of Puno, Arequipa, Cusco, and Apurimac. “Last year Bolivia purchased a record 16,000 tons of fresh potatoes from us for the industry to peel, freeze, and sell them to Bolivia’s growing fast-food restaurant sector, as their local potato varieties have a lot of sugar content,” he said. www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW JULY/AUGUST 2021 55 INTERNATIONAL US demand for potato vodka from Peru IN recent years Peru has begun to produce vodka out of native potatoes from the southern region of Huancavelica and specialists say this has been in demand from US stores and supermarkets. New varieties in Peru THE International Potato Center (CIP) based in Lima, has helped Peru to identify around 70 native varieties suitable for frying, which have been registered in the Registry of Commercial Cultivars. These include potatoes with yellow, red, purple, and blue pulp, in high demand by companies that process them as snacks for export. US-Mexico potato battle: ‘Deliberate delay likely’ FEARS that a group of Mexican growers may try to slow or stop the import of US potatoes have been shared by members of the Idaho and US potato industries THE Mexican Supreme Court last month ruled in favour of allowing fresh potato exports from the United States into the country. The ruling, which was welcomed by US potato growers, overturned a 2017 decision that prevented the Mexican federal government from implementing regulations to allow the importation of fresh US potatoes. Currently, fresh potatoes from the US are only allowed within a 16-mile area along the US-Mexico border and for the past 20 years, the US potato industry has sought to gain legal access for fresh potatoes throughout Mexico. At the Idaho Potato Commission’s regular monthly meeting, industry leaders said the National Confederation of Potato Growers of Mexico (CONPAPA) reached an agreement with the Mexican Supreme Court that will result in half of the samples taken from fresh US potato shipments being sent to a laboratory selected by CONPAPA to be tested. The other half will go to a government-run lab. That means CONPAPA, which competes against the US potato industry, will have a direct hand in inspecting US potato imports.