Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Modern science and traditional science exchange views

Local farmers and international potato scientists exchanged views today as they met in the Cusco Potato Park, located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The visit was an important part of the conference that is took place in Cusco, entitled: "Potato Science for the Poor: Challenges for the New Millennium".

Over a hundred scientists from over 30 countries visited some of the highest areas of the park, between 3,500 and 4,050 meters above sea level. There, local conservative experts, known as "papa arariwas", guided them around plots where hundreds of local potato varieties are conserved.

This unique biological diversity is essential, both as an element in the local diet and culture, and as a reservoir of bidodiversity that can be used to breed future varieties of potato.

Afterwards the scientists and the farmers exchanged views on the conservation of potato diversity and potato cultivation in Peru and the rest of the world.

"Working together, you, the scientists, and we, the arariwas, is the best way to work for future generations", said Justino Yuccra, an arariwa from the Cuello Largo community. "You have the modern knowledge, we have the indigenous knowledge, if we link them, we could increase our biodiversity and also help other people to face climate change."

Other issues presented during the meeting were global warming, the improvement of new potato varieties, access to markets, the new biotechnological tools and the origin and dissemination of the potato.

Official press release

(LIP-ir) -- Over 90 world leaders came together in Cusco, Peru for one of the United Nation's main events for the International Year of the Potato.

The main topic discussed was what some scientists have labeled as the "food of the future", the potato.

As the price of cereal increases internationally, the need for an alternative food has become a priority.

Since potatoes can be produced on less land than maize, wheat and rice, they have become a perfect alternative for a market that is seeing an increase in many staple foods.

According to reports issued from the international conference, potatoes are produced in over 100 countries and are a fundamental part of the world's nutrition.

It was reported that potatoes are the number one crop produced in the world after the production of several cereals. The production of potatoes reached a record breaking 320 million tons in 2007.

The conference was held to foster the production of potatoes and endorse it as a product that can greatly benefit third world countries. Ideas were discussed among world leaders on how production could be improved and how higher profits could be made.

The information from dozens of investigations was discussed as well as how the quality of potatoes could be increased by improving the quality of farming material and harvest systems.

Ways on how potatoes could better withstand drastic weather conditions, plagues and a lack of water were also discussed.

(LIP-ir) -- Thanks to a socioeconomic project being carried out in a northern province of Ayacucho, a region located in the south-central Andes, over 92,000 cuyes (guinea pigs) will be produced this year, said FONOCODES, a fund that fosters social development.

Furthermore, it was reported that a 40 percent increase had been registered in the production of this important Andean food source when compared to its production in 2007.

The guinea pigs are fed balanced diets and improved grass, which allows them to reach an average weight of 800 to 900 grams within two and a half months, thus, making them fit for sale in local and regional markets.

According to FONOCODES, demand and consumption for this Andean delight have increased considerably, therefore, increasing the rate of production.

660 families in Peru's highlands have already benefited from the project and the new, faster as well as more effective way of breeding and raising the animal.

Aside from FONOCODES, institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank and municipalities have contributed to the project.

(LIP-ir) -- Even though Peru has 2,800 of the 3,900 varieties of potatoes that exist in the world today, the country's per capita consumption of the tuber is only 77 kilograms (170 pounds) per year.

According to the Andean country's ministry of agriculture (MINAG), Peru's per capita consumption of potatoes is equivalent to approximately half of the per capita consumption of the tuber in several European countries.

MINAG estimates that 260 thousand hectares of land are used for the production of potatoes across the country.

"Our country produces 3.2 million tons of potato annually and 64 percent of the nation's production takes place in the areas of Cajamarca, Cusco, Huánuco, Junín, La Libertad and Puno. It is estimated that 600 thousand farmers produce potato," reported MINAG.

As a part of the goals set for the International Year of the Potato, a celebration established for 2008 by the United Nations, MINAG hopes to increase the country's per capita consumption from 77 kilograms to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) per year.

The minister of agriculture pointed out that countries such as Russia, Poland, Ireland and The Netherlands had per capita consumptions between 100 and 140 kilograms (308 pounds) per year.

Click here to read more about the International Year of the Potato and here to find out why potatoes are one of the 101 Reasons to be Proud of Peru.

(LIP-ir) -- Peru will continue respecting the traditional use of the coca leaf, said Peru's Minister of Foreign Affairs after the United Nation's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) issued a recommendation Wednesday to Peruvian and Bolivian governments to make all uses of the coca leaf a criminal offense.

If the recommendation were to be considered by the Andean nations' governments, chewing coca leaves, drinking coca tea, or even turning coca leaves into baking flour or toothpaste would be considered illegal.

According to the U.N. report, the board called the Governments of Bolivia and Peru "to consider amending their national legislation so as to abolish or prohibit activities such as coca leaf chewing and the manufacture of mate de coca (coca tea) and other products containing coca alkaloids for domestic use and export".

The 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs lists both natural coca and cocaine alongside heroin and opium as narcotics.

On the other hand, Peru's Minister of Foreign Affairs has clarified that the United Nation's INCB made similar suggestions in 1988, at which time Peru filed a caveat, stating it would respect the traditional use of the coca leaf in the Andean nation.

It was reported that if the recommendation were to be considered, at least 14,000 farmers, who produce coca leaves legally, would be affected.

(LIP-ir) -- With a total debt of over 25 million soles, over one thousand farmers in Peru are in danger of losing their land because of loans they are behind on or unable to pay.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods forced many farmers to put up their land as collateral for loans they are now unable to pay, resulting in the loss of their most valued possession.

One case is that of Delia Garibay, a 59-year-old woman with four children who took out a loan with Valle Grande, an NGO in Cañete, Lima.

With just $200 left to pay, Delia was not told that her loan had been transferred to Interbank, a Peruvian financial group.

In approximately four years, Delia owed Interbank $3,196. She agreed to pay the loan as long as she was allowed to keep her 3.5-hectare piece of land.

By renting the land and working several other jobs to survive, Delia began paying off the debt. Just four months before making her last payment; Delia was told that her farm had been sold.

"The bank manager, Rafael Carnero, told me I didn't need to sign any papers so the land would not be sold and I trusted him", said Delia, unable to hold back her tears.

Elizabeth Martínez, president of the Farmers Association in Cañete affirmed that the problem for farmers was not paying off the loan, but being able to find a way to keep up with high interest rates.

According to Peru's Bank Superintendency (SBS), there were 1,191 farmers across the country that were involved in legal proceedings for not being able to pay their loans.

The money owed was registered at 25,250,611 soles.

(LIP-ir) -- After two days of violent protests in which hundreds were detained and several killed, unions representing farmers in Peru announced Tuesday night that strikes and protests would end.

JNUDRP union leader, Enrique Malaga, announced yesterday in a radio interview that it had been decided that protests would come to an end and unions would negotiate with the government.

Malaga asked farmers across the country to remain calm and trust that authorities would meet their demands.

Several hundred people where detained while four farmers lost their lives during protests in several of Peru's regions on Monday and Tuesday.

Highways were blocked and hundreds of vehicles were unable to reach their destinations as farmers pushed for state subsidies and concessions on loans during protests.

Peru's government declared eight of its regions in a state of emergency and handed over control to the country's Armed Forces. Protests took place from Piura to Arequipa.

It was also announced that protests related to a new tourism law in Cusco would come to an end and the region would be accredited an APEC venue for the 2008 leaders' summit.

The government announced that regional and municipal authorities in Cusco had assured they would cooperate so that APEC meetings were a success.

12 meetings are to be held in Cusco on several different dates. The first is to be held from April 5 - 7.

(LIP-ir) -- Peru's Minister of Agriculture announced that he was willing to negotiate with farmers and workers unions that began a strike and protest early yesterday morning, affecting the entire country from the region of Arequipa to the region of Piura.

Minister Ismael Benavides reported that unions such as JNUDRP were not respecting agreements recently established between the government and workers unions.

Agreements were signed between unions, such as CONVEAGRO, and the government on Friday.

Despite having over a dozen demands met, the president of CONVEAGRO, Luis Zúñiga, explained that the union was taking part in the strike to support fellow workers.

"The Ministry of Agriculture is open to discussing issues and we are implementing some of the agreements established last week", said the minister in a radio interview.

Benavides assured that unions did not want to negotiate, stating that leaders from JNUDRP did not show up at scheduled meetings where government officials were present.

Thousands of passengers were affected yesterday by protests that took place from the south of the country in Arequipa to the north of Peru in Piura.

One of the worst affected highways was the Panamericana Norte Highway, which was closed off for several hours - delaying hundreds of inter-provincial buses.

Peru's government declared a state of emergency for the next week in eight of the countries regions.

Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo stated the country's Armed Forces would be responsible for controlling the situation and explained that protesters caught in violent acts would be severely punished.

It was reported on Tuesday morning that over one hundred people had been detained.

(LIP-ir) -- Approximately 400 tourists traveling to Machu Picchu were unable to reach the Inca Citadel because train tracks were blocked this morning by farmers taking part in an agriculture protest / strike, reported PeruRail, the company that provides visitors with transportation from Cusco to Machu Picchu.

Beginning at approximately 9:30 a.m., villagers and farmers blocked the 38th kilometer of the train tracks with rocks and sticks, said Gonzalo Rojas, a spokesperson for PeruRail.

The tracks were blocked in the Izcuchaca sector, which is located in the province of Anta.

Carriages such as the luxurious Hiram Bingham as well as the Backpacker were carrying about 400 passengers - unable to reach their destination, they were forced to return to their departure point.

Another protest on the 82nd kilometer of the train tracks forced a different group of travelers to return.

Even though several sections of the tracks were cleared by Peru's national police and PeruRail workers, it was reported that there are still several sections of the railway that have not been cleared yet.

PeruRail representatives reported it was evident tourists were bothered by protests and the inconvenience of having to return to train stations.

PeruRail is considering bringing some of its passengers back to Cusco by bus and then by train.

(LIP-ir) -- Hundreds of inter-provincial buses were stranded in different parts of the country when farmers and representatives of Peru's agricultural industry blocked several parts of the Panamericana Norte Highway from Huacho - approximately 80 miles north of Lima - to Piura, about 652 miles north of the country's capital city.

Protesters have been threatening to strike for some time and began blocking roads at midnight.

Motorists and bus passengers called RPP Noticias early this morning reporting that the Panamericana Norte Highway was blocked in Chancay, Huacho, Huarmey, Trujillo and Piura.

Luis Trujillano, a reporter for RPP Noticias in Chimbote told listeners that approximately 300 buses were waiting for the country's national police to remove debris from the main highway so traffic could return to normal.

National highway police chief, Eduardo Arteta reported that police were making a tremendous effort to get protesters off the highway and clear it of rocks and debris.

Although several parts of the highway have not been cleared, he reported that traffic was back to normal in the regions of Trujillo, Piura and Arequipa.

Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo has assured that there is no reason for the strike, stating that an agreement was signed on Friday between CONVEAGRO (Union of farmers and agricultural producers) and the government.

It was reported that the agreement met 13 of the demands agricultural unions were making.

When asked why the union was supporting the strike, president of CONVEAGRO, Luis Zúñiga said, "Because there are other unions taking part in the strike and we can't abandon them, we will only participate in Monday's strike."