State policy: Peru promotes law to stimulate the industrialization of potatoes

In Peru, a law promoting the industrialization of potatoes has been enacted to create favorable conditions for investment and stimulate agro-industrial developments. The country's potato production reaches 6 million tons, and the goal is to encourage and revitalize the supply to attract various sectors of the local and export markets.

The law, published last Wednesday, November 8th, in El Peruano, details that the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Irrigation (Midagri) will promote technical assistance to potato producers in activities related to "improving production quality, technification, transformation processes, and, above all, in the identification of markets and financing alternatives."

These activities are carried out through its programs, projects, or general directorates, as appropriate.

In turn, Senasa will implement a technical assistance and support program to promote the use of certified seeds in potato cultivation, both for seed producers and users. For this purpose, producers can organize into associations.

Midagri will also promote mass awareness campaigns for the consumption of Peruvian potatoes in their different varieties, presentations, and derivatives for marketing in national and international markets.

Through its competent bodies, Midagri promotes the identification of markets for the offer of the industrialization of potato cultivation.

Finally, the Peruvian state will facilitate public or private financing programs to generate the industrialization of potatoes, in agreement with regional governments and local governments.

Industrialization of potatoes in Peru

Peru remains the leading potato producer in Latin America, with a production volume of 6 million metric tons recorded in 2022. The production is concentrated 90% in the highlands, emphasizing native potato varieties.

The harvested area for potatoes reaches 330,790 hectares of crops, solidifying Peru's position as a continental leader, surpassing Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Bolivia, among others.

Additionally, the cultivation of potatoes in Peru involves 711,313 families distributed in 19 regions, with the departments of major production being Puno, Huánuco, Cusco, Cajamarca, Huancavelica, Junín, among others.

Potatoes are the fourth most cultivated food globally, only after wheat, corn, and rice; they are produced in more than 125 countries around the world. Their cultivation has become a notable driver of the regional and local economy, especially in the high Andean zones, where it generated millions of work places in 2022.