Potato passion lives on in Peru

Potatoes account for 25 per cent of Peru’s agricultural gross domestic product, and are produced by large commercial operations on irrigated land north of the capital Lima and by traditional subsistence farmers in the Andes, where the tuber originated thousands of years ago. More than 4500 varieties of potatoes exist worldwide, with 2500 of these native to Peru. Far more than a food source, the potato’s role in feeding Andean communities has given it an important place in Peruvian culture. More