Friday, November 02, 2007 Potato has gone a long, long way By Henrylito D. Tacio
"IF WE continue to think of solving food problems only in terms of traditional crops (rice, wheat, and corn), many of which are now fast approaching their yield ceilings, we may be limiting our options for meeting future challenges," lamented Dr. Hubert Zandstra, former director general of the International Potato Center (CIP).
Now, will potatoes come to the rescue? Experts think so.
Recently, potato has been given finally the attention it deserved. During the World Food Day celebration last October, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared 2008 as the International Year of Potato.
"In most places, potato is eaten by poor people," commented Jacques Diouf, FAO director-general. "Through increased productivity, the developing countries have doubled their production in 15 years."
Currently, potato is the fourth largest food course of food for the world - after rice, wheat, and corn. Every year, 350 million tons of potatoes are produced, 52 percent of these in developing countries.
"The potato trade represented US$6 billion in 2005," the FAO head reported. "This trade has doubled in volume and has risen fourfold since the mid-1980s. So it's a growing product in terms of its impact."
While potato production declined in developed countries by around one percent over the last 20 years, Diouf said it increased by about five percent in developing countries over the same period.
The name "potato" is believed to be derived from the Inca name "papa." The association with Ireland is thought to be responsible for the name "Irish potato," which is retained even though potatoes are grown almost all over the world. "The potato is continuing its march," said a CIP official. "There's just something about potatoes that everyone likes. It goes with anything."
The history of the potato has its roots in the windswept Andes Mountains of South America. The modern world did not come in contact with the potato until as late as 1537 when the Spaniards tramped through Peru. And it was even later, about 1570, that the first potato made its way across the Atlantic to make a start on the continent of Europe.
Although the Spanish most likely brought the potato to the Philippines, the precise date or circumstances of the introduction is unknown. History records showed that the first mention of the potato in the Philippines was made by the Jesuit naturalist, George Joseph Camel, who lived in the Archipelago in the late 18th Century. The term "papa" was recorded by him as the word used by Filipinos and Spaniards to designate the crop.
"Potatoes are exceptionally nutritious: they are rich in potassium, iron, magnesium, vitamins B and C, and complex carbohydrates, have a better quality protein than soybean and are 99.9 percent fat-free," said an article which appeared in the October 13, 1990 issue of The Economist. "The idea that they are fattening is a myth."
Currently, there are about five thousand potato varieties grown in 130 countries around the world. In Asia, the top growers are China and India.
In the Philippines, potato is consumed as a vegetable and occasionally as a snack item. It is ideally cooked with meat, often as a meat extender in recipes such as “adobo,” “egado,” curry, and “lumpia.” There are about 12 Philippine companies that produce potato chips and snacks. Demand for French fries is growing at the rate of 23 percent per year.
