Many times, we take the goodness of a potato for granted. In the U.S., we have easy access to delicious, nutritious potatoes throughout the year. For most of you, it is from your own farm; for others, it is from the local grocery store in various forms—fresh, dried, frozen or chipped. Not everyone around the world is as fortunate. Through the U.S. Potato Board’s (USPB’s) International Food Assistance and Development (IFAD) program, we have the opportunity to share the goodness of U.S. potatoes with those less fortunate while creating new markets for the U.S. potato industry.
Under the USPB’s long-range plan, there are goals such as “increase the number of channels in which dehy is utilized,” “expand the use of U.S. dehydrated potatoes (dehy) in international food aid programs,” and “explore new markets.”
By working with private voluntary organizations (PVOs) to educate them on the nutritional benefits potatoes can provide to the food basket in food-insecure regions, we are convincing those regions to include U.S. potatoes in their food assistance programs, which can ultimately lead to direct commercial sales.
The IFAD implements activities such as reverse trade missions where PVO headquarters and field staff, as well as U.S. government personnel, are invited to Idaho Falls, Idaho, to learn about U.S. potatoes from farm to fork. Visiting with growers and processors is very impactful. One-on-one meetings in Washington, D.C., with PVO personnel who are writing and submitting proposals to the government and government personnel approving those proposals is also very important. The more PVOs and government personnel understand the benefits of potatoes and how they fit in the food basket to address a particular need, such as diarrhea, PVOs are more confident to include it in applications, and the government is more likely to approve it.
Once a PVO’s application is approved by the government, the PVO may request the commodities be sent to the country where its program is located, and the government will purchase it from U.S. dehy processors. The USPB wants to ensure the recipients understand how to store and prepare the dehydrated potatoes, which may be completely new to them. Providing in-country training is a key activity under the IFAD to ensure they are successful in using the product once they receive it. Understanding how to use the product, which fits their local ingredients and taste preferences, provides a better opportunity for them to become future U.S. potato consumers.
A great example of IFAD program success is the USPB partnership with the PVO International Partnership for Human Development (IPHD), which programmed 9,370 metric tons of dehy, providing 260,381,290 meals to 1,282,956 beneficiaries in Moldova, Romania, Guinea Bissau and the Congo. The program in the Congo started with a U.S. government program and resulted in commercial sales of U.S. dehy to the Congolese Ministry of Education for its school feeding programs.
Overall, 13,310 metric tons (1,881,857 hundredweight fresh weight equivalent) of dehydrated potatoes, valued at $16,115,927, has been purchased through U.S. government programs since the inception of the program.