#PotatoPrices #AgriculturalImpact #EcuadorAgriculture #GastronomicSector #FoodIndustry #FarmersStruggle #CropShortage #EconomicImpact #AgroEcuador #CulinaryDilemma
The price of potatoes in Ecuador has recently undergone a staggering increase, reaching a point where it has doubled in the last month. This surge is the result of a shortage stemming from late plantings and an overall reduction in the area allocated for cultivation. The gastronomic sector, heavily reliant on potatoes for iconic dishes like papa rellena and salchipapas, is feeling the pinch.
Azucena Luque, the administrator of the restaurant D’ Linda, notes a significant price hike, stating, “The price started rising from the last days of December 2023, and this week alone, I’ve been charged USD 50 per quintal.” Restaurants offering staple dishes have been hit hard, forcing some to consider altering recipes or even closing temporarily.
Fanny Cabrera, administrator of the hueca Al Toque, shares her experience: “In this place, we used to sell over 300 papas rellenas a month at a cost of USD 1.50. With the current potato prices, it’s impossible to prepare them at that cost, so we’ve opted to offer alternative items like muchines or bolones.”
For street vendors like Edwin Salinas, who operates a salchipapa and papipollo cart in the south of Guayaquil, the situation is dire. Salinas states, “We not only had to reduce the number of potatoes in each portion but also stopped selling the option that cost USD 0.50. Now, we start at USD 1.25, leading to a 40% drop in sales this week.”
The root cause of this price surge is the scarcity of potatoes. Francisco Chiriboga, president of the Cámara de Agricultura de la I zona, explains, “I have spoken to producers in Carchi, and they tell me that late plantings have delayed the harvest, causing a shortage of potatoes. Additionally, some farmers have shifted to cultivating crops other than potatoes.”
According to the April 2023 Continuous Agricultural and Livestock Production Survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), in 2022, the national potato cultivation area was 19,390 hectares, with Carchi province contributing 43.5% of the production. Each Ecuadorian consumes an average of 30 kilograms of potatoes annually.
The current potato crisis in Ecuador, driven by late plantings and reduced cultivation, is causing ripple effects throughout the agricultural and gastronomic sectors. Stakeholders, including farmers, restaurant owners, and street vendors, are grappling with the economic challenges posed by this shortage, leading to creative adaptations and tough decisions.
