Panama: Golden Globe potato variety gains acceptance among Panamanians
A new variety of potato can be cultivated in the country, for the benefit and delight of consumers and the greater profitability of Panamanian producers.
Thanks to research conducted by the Institute for Agricultural Innovation of Panama (Idiap) and the approval of the National Seed Committee of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA), a new commercial crop of the potato variety was achieved, known as the Golden Globe variety, of American origin.
The Golden Globe potato, Solanum Tuberosum species, has a higher yield than the Granola variety, which until now, is ranked number one in the market with 90% of production in the province of Chiriquí and the Ngäbe Buglé region.
The Golden Globe variety has a yield of 40 tons per hectare, that is, 5 tons more than Granola, a number that threatens its reign in the local market.
The deterioration of the Granola variety, whose production dropped from 712 quintals to 402 thousand quintals between 2020 and 2023, a situation caused by frequent rains in recent years, as well as the increase in the use of agrochemicals and the increase in production costs, forced the Association of Producers of Tierras Altas to promote the entry of new seeds into the country.
After several studies and research efforts, the new crop was registered, which has a high tolerance to diseases such as Late Blight and Pectobacterium sp., among others, as well as good adaptability to our cultivation areas.
The Golden Globe variety has yellow skin and pulp, which is accepted and preferred by consumers, and can be stored for up to two months. It is round and oval, of good size and matures in 110 days.
The National Seed Committee of the Ministry of Agricultural Development has approved the cultivation of this variety of tuber, which will now be introduced into production systems for the benefit of producers and consumers in our country.
In Panama, the production of this important item for the consumption of Panamanians is 14.3 kg per inhabitant per year, and is grown mainly in the province of Chiriquí, where the Granola (90%) and Alpha (10%) varieties are planted and 402,625 quintals are harvested, in 807 hectares planted by 297 producers, according to the MIDA 2023-2024 agricultural closing report.
Potato production impacts the national economy with 11.7 million balboas in agricultural goods and services.
Fuente: destinopanama.com.pa
