La papa peruana en el mundo Por Silvio Rendon

Hablar de la papa es hablar del Perú.
Según Federico Engels la papa jugaría "rol históricamente revolucionario" en la revolución industrial en el siglo XIX.

Es el año internacional de la papa, coyuntura propicia para iniciar una segunda ola exportadora en el mundo, que no conoce las variedades peruanas.

Imagen tomada de The Economist. Artículo citado


Lo dice The Economist en este artículo:

it is certainly time for Peru to make more of its potato patrimony.

Y más en el cuerpo del artículo:

Peru's farm exports totalled $2.2 billion last year, including asparagus, paprika and artichokes. Most of these crops are grown on the fertile Pacific coast. But potato exports amount to just $500,000. Officials hope that paying more attention to spuds could help some of the poorest Peruvians. Ordinary white potatoes are grown on the coast. But more unusual—and tastier—varieties survive in the Andean highlands. Peruvian yellow potatoes are prized by gourmets for mashing; tubular ollucos are firm and waxy. As Peru's rich cuisine becomes better known abroad, demand for these tubers could grow, reckons Luis Carranza, the economy minister.

No es que sea una mala idea. El tema es ponerle el esfuerzo por sacar adelante este cultivo al que se dedica una buena parte de los campesinos del país.

En la parte editorial leemos The potato. Spud we like. Es el año internacional de la papa. No es mala coyuntura para ponerle ganas al cultivo. Es el cuarto cultivo mundial, después del trigo, arroz y maiz. Con un rol crucial en la revolución industrial inglesa y mundial:

Unlikely though it seems, the potato promoted economic development by underpinning the industrial revolution in England in the 19th century. It provided a cheap source of calories and was easy to cultivate, so it liberated workers from the land. Potatoes became popular in the north of England, as people there specialised in livestock farming and domestic industry, while farmers in the south (where the soil was more suitable) concentrated on wheat production. By a happy accident, this concentrated industrial activity in the regions where coal was readily available, and a potato-driven population boom provided ample workers for the new factories. Friedrich Engels even declared that the potato was the equal of iron for its “historically revolutionary role”.

En buena hora domesticaron la papa los antiguos peruanos. A los modernos ya nos toca portarnos con otro golcito....

Actualización: Otra reacción al artículo de The Economist aquí.