World experts meet at Potato Congress
BOISE – The titans of taters gathered Tuesday for the opening day of the Sixth World Potato Congress in the United States’ top potato-producing state, drawing about 850 participants from 41 nations.
“We need all the key players, from the policy makers down to the field,” said Dongyu Qu, a scientist with the Chinese Academy of Agriculture, based in Beijing.
Delegates included South African farmers, snack makers in Japan and potato experts in Argentina. Discussions ran from import and export deals to finding a way to use dehydrated potatoes to feed the world’s hungry.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns addressed the crowd, noting that Idaho – which produced 12.5 billion pounds of potatoes in 2005 – was a natural location for the event’s first visit to this country. He also announced $13 million in federal money to fight an isolated infestation of potato cyst nematodes, which feed on potato roots. The infestation was discovered this year in Idaho.
“When you’re talking potatoes, there are a few mystic places,” said Frank Muir, president of the Idaho Potato Commission. “You’ve got Peru, you’ve got Ireland, and you’ve got Idaho.”
Most foreign delegations brought their own interpreters, but the congress supplied two, both Spanish speaking. About 80 of the attendees were from Latin America, including Marco Alvarez, operation manager for Bariel, a snack-producing company in Toluca, Mexico.
“It’s important to know the trends, new varieties and new equipment,” he said, adding that he was also looking for potato producers to make deals. “The potato production in Mexico is not sufficient for us.”
Tuesday’s sessions dealt with global potato processing and the global potato industry outlook.
Sessions planned here through Thursday included topics such as “Seed Potato Issues,” “Potato Genome Sequencing” and “New Varieties Roundtable.”
The event then moves about 50 miles west of Boise to a farm show in Wilder on Friday and Saturday.
Ernest Yzei, a South African farmer, had already visited some Idaho farms and came away impressed with the size of the machinery.
“We are not used to that kind of big machinery in South Africa,” he said, adding that the farmers are about what he expected. “Farmers seem to be all the same – same problems, same complaints.”