The Sardinia family cooperative in Italy is engaged in potato growing not in the most ideal conditions, since there is a big difference between day and night temperatures (15-40 ° C), and the height is also unusual for growing potato plants.
“We are located in the province of Sassari at an altitude of 750 meters above sea level on a plain where water comes from springs in granite slabs,” says Gianfranco Psihedda, the owner of a cooperative that he runs with his brothers Antonio and Giuseppe.
“We focused on this project to create a value chain in an unusual place and to refute the view that good potatoes can only be obtained in ideal production zones.
Since this is a mountainous region, we cannot be extremely competitive when it comes to volumes, and we focus on quality. We have six hectares where we grow various varieties: three yellow, pink and purple varieties that produce 30 tons / ha. Our pride is purple potato varieties, which have a pleasant aftertaste of walnuts and chestnuts, commercialized under the Archemissa brand (in Sardinia, the name means lavender - the color of the pulp of tubers resembles it). We mix potatoes with pralines and chocolate. It turns out an original and delicious dessert, for which people are willing to pay more. And this is important, because this year the prices for seed potatoes from the Netherlands and Italy rose by 50% compared to the previous year, ”explains Gianfranco.
Farmers start planting potatoes in Sassari in mid-April and continue until June to avoid frost, and harvesting is carried out after 90 days. Tubers are grown naturally, minimizing the use of phytosanitary products.
Author: the KVEDOMOSTI.R