The United Nations (UN) has taken the decision to designate May 30 as the ‘International Day of the Potato’. It will be an annual celebration.
The UN decision has been warmly welcomed by Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) potato committee chairman, Sean Ryan.
“Any step taken to profile the tremendous nutritional value of potatoes is positive,” Ryan said.
“The new date in the calendar will add to the impact already created by Ireland’s own National Potato Day.”
Hosted by Bord Bia, the 2023 celebration of the potato was held on Monday October 6.
It served to highlight the taste, versatility and value-for-money of Ireland’s favourite vegetable.
Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN has also welcomed the UN’s decision to designate an ‘International Day of the Potato’.
The initiative is seen as an opportunity to raise awareness of a crop regularly consumed by billions of people, and of global importance for food security and nutrition.
The annual observance was championed by Peru, which submitted a proposal for adoption to the UN General Assembly, based on an FAO Conference Resolution of July 7, 2023.
The impetus for the day, which builds upon the International Year of Potato that was observed in 2008, originates from the need to emphasise the significant role of the potato in tackling prevalent global issues – such as food insecurity, poverty and environmental threats.
Benefits of International Potato Day
“This International [Potato] Day will shed light on the significant value of the potato – nutritional, economic, environmental and cultural,” FAO deputy director-general, Beth Bechdol said.
“It will also highlight the contribution of the potato to global food security, poverty reduction and the livelihoods of millions, while emphasising the key role of indigenous peoples’ knowledge and practices.
Potatoes are regarded in many countries as an important component of strategies to provide accessible and nutritious food and improved livelihoods in rural areas.
The crop’s versatility and ability to grow in a variety of conditions make it an advantageous crop choice.
Potatoes are also a climate-friendly crop, as they produce low levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in comparison to other crops.
In the past decade, global production of potatoes has increased by 10%, leading to growth in employment and income.
In addition, there is a wide spectrum of diversity among potatoes, with over 5,000 improved varieties and farmers’ varieties/landraces, many of which are unique to their original location in Latin America.
The 150 wild relatives of the cultivated potato show a wide genetic variation with a range of traits, including the ability to adapt to different production environments, resistance to pests and diseases, and different tuber characteristics.
In essence, they are a repository of the heritable traits for the continued genetic improvement of the crop to respond to ever changing environmental conditions, new biotypes of pests and diseases and consumers’ preferences.