In an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, the president of the 'Papa de Los Valles' Association, Noli Peraza, explains how the association protects its members and how they collaborate with the agricultural training of IES Teguise.
In addition, Peraza explains the particularities that make the high mountain potato of Lanzarote unique (and tastier).
- How did your relationship with agriculture begin?
I am from Los Valles and so are my parents. Since I was little, I have always dedicated time to the countryside when I had a free moment after class.
My parents were also dedicated to tourism, but we always maintained the tradition of planting potatoes, chives, grain...
- How did you land in the field as a professional?
I studied to work in the service sector. I was at the Hotel Escuela Santa Brígida and when I returned to Lanzarote I was working in restaurants until I decided to take the leap and work in the field.
- Is there generational change?
Living off the land is very complicated, but I am seeing the children of the members return to plant, because they have seen that the economic performance is increasing.
There are a couple of groups of guys in Los Valles, between 25 and 31 years old, who this year have been encouraged to plant a little, with the support of their parents and the association. In fact, this year up to 20% more will be planted than in other years.
- Are there lands in Los Valles to be exploited?
In the last 30 years, more than 50% of the farms have been abandoned. Since the Association was created, we have recovered three.
- What motivated the creation of the Papa de Los Valles Association?
The project arises long before the Association. There came a time when you went to the market and all the potatoes were advertised as from Los Valles when Los Valles did not produce so much quantity.
We also had a problem with the intermediaries because the farmer had no options to have a cold storage to keep the potatoes from the periods of abundance.
As a result of all that, we started working with the Teguise City Council, which launched the idea of creating the association and a small group of young people from the town decided to take the step, we understood that unity is strength.
- How many members are there and what benefits does the association offer?
We started as 11 farmers and currently we are 40 families. The association gives guarantees to the farmer to save their crops every year.
We look for subsidies, now for example for water tanks. If the association did not exist, not even 50% of what we are cultivating now would be cultivated.
- What makes the Papa de Los Valle different?
The harvests that are produced in the Los Valles area are the winter one, which we have just finished collecting, and, above all, the summer one, which is a specific harvest from the high area of the island.
The difference of that potato is that it has a dry matter of 28%, which is crazy. A supermarket potato has around 15% dry matter, almost everything is water.
The Papa de Los Valles lasts much longer. It is a tasty potato, which tastes like earth because it has less water. And that is what makes it special.
- How many kilos do they get per hectare?
The Papa de Los Valles is not so profitable. For example, a hectare of potatoes in Gran Canaria can yield around 40,000 kilos, when we do not reach 20,000.
For a period of 4 months, they use 300 liters per square meter. Here with 60-70 liters we get a good production, thanks to the help of the picon. We use the picon from Haría, which is thicker than the one from La Geria, and aerates the potato more.
When you go to the market, you may see potatoes from Egypt or Israel for one euro and potatoes from Los Valles perhaps for two euros, but there is a story behind it that makes it special.
- How do they collaborate with the agricultural training offered by IES Teguise?
Every year we meet to see how to collaborate with the agriculture cycle. We invest in materials and visits. This year, for example, we are doing a trial of new varieties of potatoes and we are going to treat them with a foliar fertilizer, which is more profitable and less harmful to the ecosystem.
- Do students of the cycle have good professional opportunities?
They are in demand. Those who finished last year are all working 100% on agricultural farms on the island.
- How many kilos of potatoes are produced in Los Valles and how long does it take to sell them?
We are collecting around 350,000 kg per year with the two harvests and everything is sold.
When we started with the association, until mid-September there were potatoes for sale. Now it is sold out for the Virgen de Las Nieves, on August 5.