United Nations Radio

The UN Economic Commission for Europe is highlighting this week the International Year of the Potato.

Its aim is at the same time to draw attention to some of the most urgent challenges facing the international community - the global food crisis and the need to step up efforts to realize the UN Millennium Development Goals.

At a press conference in Geneva on Thursday, Paolo Garonna, Officer in Charge of the Commission extolled the virtues of the potato, the fourth largest crop after rice, wheat and corn.

"Potatoes are easy to grow even in harsh environments, they have a high energy content, they can be produced from a very small area of land, they are rich in vitamin C, so potatoes are really good for you."

To highlight the importance of the world's number one non-grain commodity in providing food security and alleviating poverty, the Commission has launched a cookbook with over 200 potato recipes from around the world.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.

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