Final inventory reported more than 4,000 native potatoes in Peru

The inventory of native varieties in the country made by specialists from the National Agrarian University La Molina (UNALM), is looking forward to establish germplasm protection equivalent to a patent.

The objective of this measure is to create mechanisms that generate economic income for farmers, who are the creators of this vast tuber diversity that, according to the International Potato Centre (IPC), exceeds 4,200 varieties.

Specialists are requesting that small farmers can have an economic benefit, so that the use of potatoes for commercial purposes must generate income for them. This request must be confirmed by the Ministry of Economy.

Just in the region of Huanuco, there are been studying 1,284 samples of native potatoes to describe their botanical characterizations. Research has allowed 377 varieties of potatoes to be found in these places, of which 111 are yellow pulp.