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International potato meet comes to an end

Kolkata: The curtains came down on Saturday on India’s first international potato convention, about the success of which even West Bengal’s ever-enthusiastic Chief Minister had some initial scepticism. Three days of discussions on potato, he is believed to have wondered before the organisers. Yet there it was — basket-loads of it with machinery exhibitors queuing up to showcase their latest processing gizmos, multinationals carting truckloads of their potato-based finger foods and the State government mounting a very life-like exhibition showing farmers toiling on the fields so that the king of snacks can make it to our table.

Believed to have originated from Andes, Peru and Bolivia in South America, the world got to know of potato when the Spaniards introduced it in their own country in the 16th century.

The crop then spread to many European countries, including Italy, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Reports suggest that till the 18th century it was only grown in the botanical gardens of Europe.

It was only later during that century that Ireland started growing it as a nourishing crop and such was its food value that it even caused the infamous Irish famine resulting in the death of about a million people in 1846 following the failure of the crop.

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International potato meet comes to an end

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