DistantNews
Support us
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Environment & Climate

After a Summer of Heat, Potato Advocates Call for a New Approach to Genetic Engineering

From Neue Zürcher Zeitung · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Swiss potato farmers suffered from drought during the hot summer, recording nearly 20% lower yields per hectare than the five-year average.
  • The harvest was the lowest in absolute terms since records began a century ago, according to industry representatives.
  • Swisspatat is calling for hardier varieties and a new approach to genetic engineering, including partial liberalization of new breeding methods.

A tower of wooden crates filled with freshly harvested potatoes now stands inside Zurich’s Wasserkirche. The unusual exhibition opened with a reminder that the church once served as a potato storehouse during the First World War.

The display arrives after a disastrous season for Swiss potato growers. Drought caused severe damage, and although irrigation helped limit losses in some areas, yields fell by almost 20 percent per hectare compared with the five-year average. Industry representatives said the figure had not been so low since 1965. In absolute terms, Switzerland had never harvested so few potatoes since records began 100 years ago.

Christian Bucher, managing director of Swisspatat, acknowledged the bleak results before striking a more hopeful note. “But we potato fans are optimists, and we believe this tuber has a bright future in Switzerland.” The industry’s answer is to breed more resilient varieties and reconsider how Switzerland regulates genetic engineering.

It pleases me to hold a press conference in such a potato-rich place.

· Christian BucherThe Swisspatat managing director made the remark while opening the event at Zurich’s Wasserkirche.

Representatives in the Wasserkirche argued that ensuring future potato supplies may require partial liberalization of new breeding methods. Their message was framed by the potato’s long history in Switzerland, where documented food-potato cultivation began in the canton of Glarus in the late 17th century.

The exhibition combines that history with a warning about the future. After the heat and drought, potato producers are looking for tools that could help prevent a potato crisis in Switzerland.

But we potato fans are optimists, and we believe this tuber has a bright future in Switzerland.

· Christian BucherBucher offered the optimistic industry view after presenting the season’s poor harvest results.
About this summary

Originally published by Neue Zürcher Zeitung in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog