Three new potato varieties, CIP Poderosa Crocante, CIP Poderosa Watia, and CIP Poderosa Pollera, were introduced by the International Potato Center (CIP) in partnership with Poderosa S.A.

The aforementioned novel potato types have high dry matter content and low reducing sugar concentration, together with resistance to Phytophthora infestans, the late blight. Smallholder farmers can use these types to decrease their dependency on agrochemicals and increase yields.

Farmers and consumers alike stand to gain from these new cultivars. Consumers will benefit from potato tubers produced with fewer fungicides and lower levels of acrylamides and glycoalkaloids, while farmers and their families will be exposed to fewer fungicides to control late blight. These spuds can also be included in family-sustainable farming systems, which will benefit small and medium-sized farmers by generating more revenue and protecting the environment.

“Their economic profitability is enhanced by lower production costs due to reduced fungicide use compared to control varieties. These varieties offer healthier and more sustainable options compared to popular Peruvian potato varieties, promoting improving living standards for potato producers in Peru and other developing countries,” the International Potato Center experts mentioned in a recent press release.

The Poderosa S.A. mining firm is based in La Libertad, a potato-producing region of Peru. Through its sustainability programs and corporate social responsibility, the company collaborates with local non-governmental organizations to promote the farming communities’ sustainable growth. Poderosa partnered with CIP to create these late blight resistance types in response to consumer demand, seeing the need for better kinds.

The innovative varieties are the product of the “Selection of potato clones suitable for industrial processing and baking, resistant to late blight, and producing high-quality phytosanitary tuber seed project,” sponsored by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia e Innovacion del Peru (CONCYTEC) and funded by Minera Poderosa Company through Law 30309, which promotes scientific research, technological development, and technical innovation, providing tax benefits to companies for their partnerships with research organizations. Poderosa actively promotes economic and social progress in the La Libertad region and is currently funding a three-year plan to disseminate these varieties, sharing related information through publications and social media.

The varieties are available for licensing to certified seed producers registered with the Peruvian Seed Authority (SENASA). CIP applied for plant variety protection by UPOV and Peruvian legislation and can issue commercial production licenses. Following its mandate, CIP requires licensees to accept providing seed to smallholder farmers at preferential rates. CIP also requires licensees to contribute financially to the Benefit Sharing Fund of the International Plant Treaty. The fund supports conservation and sustainable use projects in the global south.

The dissemination strategy aligns with Peruvian national priorities on the production availability and affordability of high-quality seed to farmers.

Acknowledgment is also extended to local governments such as the District Municipality of Chugay and the Provincial Municipality of Sánchez Carrión in the La Libertad region, as well as farmers from Huánuco, Junín, Arequipa, and Cajamarca, with whom field research was conducted.