The head of Agribusiness of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MINAGRI), Mirna Zuzunaga, said that potato production could grow more by than five percent this year, when compared to 2014, because of the articulation of the industry and the new markets to which Peru can export.
"We will also achieve this thanks to the greater support for the sector, through financing and coordination with buyers," she added. She also said that potato production had been increasing year by year, as production in 2002 amounted to three million tons and in 2013 it totalled 4.57 million tons.
"Production in 2014 amounted to nearly 4.7 million tons and we hope to increase it this year by five percent," she told Andina.
Families livelihood
Zuzunaga also noted that 711,313 families lived from the cultivation of potatoes and that the most productive agricultural areas were in Puno, Huanuco, Cusco, and Cajamarca, among others. 90 percent of the crops are in the mountains. "The best yields, the highest quality, and potato varieties are the ones produced and harvested in the months of May, June and July," she added.
Source: Andina S.A.