, since it generates intensive labor in Peru, which means around 34 million daily wages per season for Family Farming producers, the
reported on Wednesday.
"Although
potato cultivation generates more than 110,000 fixed or permanent jobs, the most remarkable aspect is the creation of the intensive jobs it creates nationwide," Midagri's potato chain specialist Juan Miguel Quevedo stressed.
"The 34 million jobs, which are temporary, are mostly created for the sowing, maintenance, harvesting, and post-harvesting campaigns for the most versatile Andean tuber," he added.
Quevedo affirmed that last season 339,000 hectares were sown, and farmers were hired to work for the stages of preparing the land, sowing, weeding, second fertilization, hilling, pest control, harvest, and post-harvest.
Once they fulfill the mission of sowing and cultivating the land, they leave and are called back for the next stages of
potato production, which also includes weeding the land, eradicating pests that may exist, as well as supporting harvest season and post-harvest again.
Ranking of regions where potatoes are grown
On the other hand, Quevedo stated that potato cultivation at the national level is distributed among 19 regions of the country, being the areas with the highest production:
1) Puno which produces 850,000 tons per year. Thus, it accounts for 16% of the national production.
2) Huanuco 745,000 tons per year (14%).
3) La Libertad 533,000 tons (10%).
4) Ayacucho 449,000 tons (8%).
5) Cusco 440,000 tons (8%).
Campaign
In addition, Peru is the main center of origin of potato —a tuber whose aged above 7,000 years and is a fundamental food in the development of the pre-Inca and Inca cultures.
(END) NDP/LZD/MVB