10th World Potato Congress
Cusco, 30 May 2018. With more than 5000 varieties to choose from, it’s safe to say that each one of us has a potato that reflects our personality type. It’s a perfect metaphor when you consider that there are some potatoes that prefer quiet and tranquility, while others grow in very particular shapes and colors, and there are others that have adapted to the most complex soil and climate conditions the planet has to offer.
To highlight the incredible variety of potatoes there are, for National Potato Day, the International Potato Center (CIP) created a quiz which, according to answers to questions such as what is your preferred holiday location, food, recreational activity, and dress style, quickly discovers which potato best represents you.
“This quiz gives everyone the opportunity to learn a little more about the extraordinary biodiversity of native potato in our country, and the individual characteristics that make each of them unique. At the same time, you can have some fun identifying some tastes and preferences that sometimes we don’t think about when we are caught up in our everyday routine”, said Amalia Perochena, Executive Director of CIP.
Peru has the most extensive potato biodiversity in the world. Most spectacular are the native varieties, of which there are more than 3000; the great majority of them cultivated by farmers who live at altitudes over 3,500 meters above sea level. Other more popular varieties such as Canchán or Tumbay are harvested at lower altitude, and are the ones most commonly consumed by Peruvians.
Some native varieties, such as Puka puma (pa) makin, Guinda Gaspar and Yanapasña Pucas Ñawi, offer a solution in the fight against chronic malnutrition and anemia, thanks to their high iron and zinc content, while yellow potatoes have components that help prevent ocular degeneration, and purple or red ones contain high levels of antioxidants.
What are you waiting for? Find out what variety you are here. Discover your inner potato and share the fun on your social media.
About CIP
The International Potato Center (CIP), with headquarters in Lima, was founded in 1971 as a root and tuber research-for-development institution delivering sustainable solutions to the pressing world problems of hunger, poverty and the degradation of natural resources. CIP is custodian to a collection of potato, sweetpotato and Andean roots and tubers including the world’s largest collection of potato diversity. CIP has regional offices in Peru, Ecuador, Kenia, India and China and works all over the world with projects in 30 developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
CIP is part of the CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food security, improving human health and nutrition, and ensuring a more sustainable management of natural resources. Its research is carried out by 15 CGIAR Centers, in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector. www.cgiar.org
Contact:
| Marisol Paredes Burson Marsteller Peru Cel. 998161515 marisol.paredes@bm.com |
José Balta Burson Marsteller Peru Cel. 943276255 jose.balta@bm.com |
María Elena Lanatta International Potato Center Cel. 981187198 m.lanatta@cgiar.org |
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