Potato sector

The potato is native to Guatemala and it is estimated that over 36 varieties are grown there. The high-altitude range for potato farming (1500 to 3600 metres above sea level) and rapid cultivation cycle (90-150 days depending on the altitude) mean that potato production is spread throughout the country and constitutes the fifth most important temporary/annual crop by size of planted area – surpassed by white maize, beans, yellow maize and sesame (INE 2004). Based on information gathered for this report, three quarters of national production is concentrated in Quetzaltenango, San Marcos and Huehuetenango, providing permanent or semi-permanent employment to at least 70,897 families, of which two-thirds belong to indigenous ethnic groups. Nationally, about 88 per cent of rural families cultivate potatoes at least as a backyard crop, where every farmer decides his own time for planting and harvesting. The overall prevalent crop cultivation calendar for small-scale farming of potatoes by broad geographic region is presented in Table 2.

Sustainable Development Goals:

No Poverty

Zero Hunger

Gender Equality