Costa Rica: Innovation in the agricultural sector is driving a significant transformation in potato crops in Cartago

Potato production in the northern region of Cartago has seen a remarkable improvement in quality and yield, thanks to the efforts of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (TEC). This educational institution has implemented biotechnological tools to strengthen the agricultural sector and boost the local economy.

In 2025, TEC distributed approximately 10,000 plantlets to farmers in communities such as Llano Grande, Tierra Blanca, Cot, and Pacayas. This initiative has not only improved yields but also reduced the use of agrochemicals and provided Costa Rican households with higher-quality potatoes.

The plantlets, obtained in the laboratory, are the core of this project, which works with two specific varieties: Única (with a red peel and yellow pulp) and Floresta (with a yellow peel and white pulp). These varieties were developed at the Biotechnology Research Center (CIB) of the School of Biology at TEC.

The current agricultural context shows a sector that has been contracting for eight consecutive months. However, the distribution of plantlets represents a considerable advantage for farmers, as it provides them with seeds for the next four or five years, resulting in significant savings in production costs.

For Uriel Méndez Mejía, a farmer from Cerro Pasquí in San Juan de Chicuá, the results have been encouraging. He says he has received valuable support from TEC, especially in potato production and the introduction of new seed varieties to the national market. Regarding the Única potato, Méndez emphasizes its outstanding culinary qualities.

The project, led by researchers Giovanni Garro Monge and Jaime Brenes Madriz, is titled "Strengthening the productive capacity of potato farmers through agricultural biotechnology, as a response to economic reactivation: Phase II." It aims to transfer technological packages based on in-vitro plants and promote the use of bio-inputs and organic fertilizers made with beneficial microorganisms that contribute to more sustainable and disease-resistant production.

The farmers who benefit also receive comprehensive technical assistance, both for the management of the plants in the greenhouse and for their subsequent transfer to the field, thus ensuring their optimal growth.

A key aspect of the project is that it allows producers to generate their own high-quality pre-basic seed from in vitro material. This represents a solution to one of the main needs of the potato sector and strengthens its productive capacity.