The Udapa cooperative and the NEIKER technological center, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), have signed a transfer agreement that will last until 2032.

The arrangement will allow the cooperative to grow, produce seed, and store potatoes as well as market the new Beltza and Edurne potato types that NEIKER has acquired.

As Leire Barañano, director of NEIKER, explained during the signing, “this collaboration is of great value since the alliances between technology centers and the agri-food sector allow us to find solutions to challenges and take advantage of new opportunities that may arise in the face of the future.”

A key component of the NEIKER ideology is the sharing of information and solutions to the agriculture industry. Through these partnerships between the technology center and agri-food businesses, NEIKER can create creative responses to the sector’s issues, enabling farmers to produce more food sustainably and with greater yields.

“Potatoes with Origin”

According to a Udapa recent release, in contrast to most potatoes sold in Basque markets, Beltza is distinguished by its deep purple color and for having a high antioxidant content. Additionally, it adjusts to the climatic conditions of the Álava territory extremely well, which aids in achieving high and consistent production. This new variety is descended from Andean parents, who gave it its purple hue, and local ones, who helped it produce well.

Edurne, on the other hand, received incredibly high evaluations throughout the tastings conducted to gauge consumer acceptability of the product. It is a particular kind that stands out for its pale yellow flesh and very thin, easily washable, peelable skin. It is also well-suited for both frying and cooking, making it perfect for domestic use.

Udapa intends to advertise these two new kinds under the slogan “Potatoes with origin” through its primary customers, who are large merchants, for the upcoming Christmas campaign.

“Launching these two new references onto the market is a very important milestone for our cooperative, as it shows the great work we are doing to boost potato production in the territory. These potatoes are presented in plastic-free packaging and with a modern image that aims to represent the main values of the cooperative; such as sustainability, the commitment to local production, cooperation, and innovation,” Alfonso Sáenz de Cámara, general director of Udapa mentioned.

The center relies on the employment of purely traditional and natural methods to produce Edurne and Beltza, crossing many types of renowned culinary quality with resistance to the most prevalent diseases in our area caused by agroclimatic conditions, viruses, and nematodes (worms).

In this manner, the Beltza variety was entered into the registration in 2019, and the Álava cooperative obtained 600 kg of seed from the same tuber in the spring of 2020 to conduct an agronomic and commercial evaluation. As a result, 8,000 kilograms of produce were harvested, and consumers generally approved of them. In the case of Edurne, UDAPA got 1,200 kg of seed in the summer of 2021 and planted it on the property of one of its producer partners to conduct a demonstrative evaluation trial.