Peru

Peru is renowned for its extraordinary diversity of native potato varieties, with estimates ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 types, making it a global center of potato biodiversity. This rich genetic heritage is actively preserved through initiatives like the Potato Park in the Sacred Valley, where indigenous communities maintain traditional farming practices to protect and cultivate native potato varieties.

Recognizing the crop’s cultural, economic, and nutritional importance, the Peruvian government established National Potato Day on May 30 in 2005, celebrated annually through events that raise public awareness. Major potato-growing regions in Peru include Huánuco, Huancavelica, Junín, Apurímac, Ayacucho, and Arequipa—primarily located in the Central Andes at elevations between 2,500 and 4,500 meters—while smaller areas in coastal valleys support irrigated commercial production.

Popular native and cultivated varieties include Papa Blanca (white potato), Papa Amarilla (yellow potato), and the multicolored Papa Peruanita, along with Papa Huamantanga, Papa Púrpura, and Papa Tarmeña. Improved varieties such as Canchán, Amarilis, and UNICA have been developed to enhance yield and resistance.

The International Potato Center (CIP), headquartered in La Molina, Lima, and founded in 1971 by Peruvian government decree, plays a key role in potato research, focusing on the development of high-yielding, disease-resistant potato and sweet potato varieties, while also maintaining one of the world’s largest genebanks for potato, sweet potato, and other Andean root and tuber crops.

The history of the potato in the Peru region dates back to between 8000 and 5000 BC, when it was first domesticated in the area surrounding Lake Titicaca, spanning southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia. Archaeological findings confirm that the earliest verified potato remains, dating to around 2500 BC, were discovered at the coastal site of Ancón. This region, particularly the Peruvian Andes, is considered the center of origin for the potato due to its remarkable genetic diversity.

In ancient Peruvian civilizations, including the Inca Empire, the potato was a dietary staple and held deep cultural significance. It was consumed in various forms—boiled, mashed, baked, and stewed—and processed into chuño, a freeze-dried product prized for its longevity, which proved crucial for sustaining armies and surviving periods of famine.

Beyond its role in nutrition, the potato was used in traditional medicine and rituals by the Incas to treat injuries, forecast weather, and measure time based on cooking duration. With over 8,000 years of cultivation in the Peruvian Andes, the potato remains a cornerstone of Peru's agricultural heritage and cultural identity.