The consortium of potato producers (Conpapa), which associates 300 farmers directly and another 2 thousand in seven cantons of the province, inaugurated days ago its plant for cleaning and sorting tubers in Riobamba.
This consortium, which entered the national market since 2014, is part of the groups that deliver their products to large supermarket chains and different restaurants in the country.
The main activity of this organization is the strengthening of small producers ‘ guilds, which are responsible for producing commercial potato and seed in Tungurahua, Chimborazo and Bolivar.
The collection center is located in the troje sector, south of Riobamba. Every month they deliver more than 3,000 quintals of potatoes of different classes, such as the Super chola, Fri papa, Carolina and Victoria, the most required in the market.
José Usay, manager of Conpapa, indicated that at the moment they work for the delivery of the product to an Iranian group, who have requested 120,000 kilos per month.
“Before shipment the tuber is washed, sorted and packed by our staff, applying strict hygiene processes that ensure excellent quality. The teams allow this work to be done efficiently, providing added value to this one of the most representative products in the region, ” he said.
Usay also stressed that the other objectives of Conpapa is to improve marketing conditions and strengthen the system of direct sales of the product.
“Producers hand over their harvest to the organization. It is responsible for selling them to end consumers, thus helping to achieve a higher retail price than in the wholesale market, ” he added.
Currently, a project is being implemented to sell processed potato, chips of various colors, in Tungurahua, a strategy to give added value to the product.
Product treatment
The equipment of the new plant allows the work to be machined, that is, the product enters a concave rubber conveyor belt, provided with drag stops, to a washing machine.
There a system of Tanks immerses the tuber and by means of a fine pressure rain cleans it. After this the product passes into a belt through a stream of air at 65 degrees Celsius to remove moisture.
“We have always delivered a quality product. For this we classify the best and offer a potato rich in nutrients, clean and ready for consumption. With this new team we will do it faster” said Juan Ortiz, president of Conpapa in Chimborazo.
The equipment has a cost of $142,490 of which, the Institute of popular and solidarity economy contributed with $101,031 and the cooperative Conpapa with $41,459.
The infrastructure of the cellars and storage is an investment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, who invested $153,340.10.
Javier Ponce, Minister of Agriculture, said that this cooperative is a clear sign that associativity pays off.
“Our full support to these organizations as they open sources of work and contribute to the development of the country,” he said.
Note: all costs are given in US dollars.
