Northern Ireland's College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise is first commercial grower in Ireland of the entirely new gourmet potato variety Mayan Gold.
Mayan Gold is the first European potato variety in over 400 years to be bred successfully from native potatoes growing in South America.
Crop Technologist Stephen Bell of the college's Greenmount Campus said yields are typically 50 percent of conventional varieties with 28 tonnes a hectare of marketable tubers harvested at Greenmount.
He said although yields are low and production costs are high, the variety is reported to sell for a 400 to 500 percent premium over conventional varieties.
The college has developed a project with students at Greenmount to explore the agronomic and culinary attributes of Mayan Gold through taste panels and product innovation.