The EUROPLANT Group has combined its 125th anniversary celebrations with a philanthropic gesture aimed at safeguarding the genetic future of potatoes. During an event in mid-August, attended by some 250 guests, the company encouraged donations to AGUAPAN, a Peruvian initiative uniting more than 100 farming communities in the Andes that have been preserving native potato varieties since 2015.

The gathering also marked 50 years of Nordkartoffel Zuchtgesellschaft, the inauguration of the EUROPLANT Biotechnikum, and the retirement of long-serving breeding manager Dr Hans-Reinhard Hofferbert.

AGUAPAN’s farmer members act as custodians of hundreds of traditional potato varieties, conserving traits crucial for future breeding programmes. These include resistance to disease, tolerance to climate stress, and improved nutritional qualities. The International Potato Centre (CIP) supports the initiative by monitoring the conservation status of the varieties and maintaining safety duplicates in its genebank where requested.

“We rely on old varieties for breeding. They contain important genetic traits that help us breed more efficient, more tolerant varieties that are capable of meeting the challenges of the future,” said Dr. Justus Böhm, Managing Director of EUROPLANT.

Guests at the anniversary event contributed around €10,000, which EUROPLANT matched, bringing the total donation to €20,000.

AGUAPAN president Aurea Eulalia Mendoza Capcha welcomed the support, stating: “This valuable donation will allow us to support the highland families who sustain the ongoing evolution of the potato through investment in their wellbeing. Every year each member of AGUAPAN receives a financial retribution in recognition of their effort to conserve 50 to 300 local varieties per household. The resources will be used for health care, education, agricultural inputs and for strengthening the leadership capacity within the association. We sincerely thank EUROPLANT for recognizing the connection between conservation of the potato in the Andes and the sustainability of breeding in Europe. We also wish to congratulate the company on its 125th anniversary.”