A record potato harvest has set off a huge free potato giveaway in Berlin, the German capital. Tonnes upon tonnes of potatoes are reaching everywhere from the zoo to soup kitchens and homeless shelters. The situation arose after the biggest potato harvest in 25 years.

According to official statistics, Germans eat an average of 63 kg of potatoes per person a year. But this year's exceptional harvest has reached a scale that would be hard for even the keenest potato lover to handle.

Locally the situation is being called "Kartoffel-Flut", or potato flood. After overproduction, one farmer decided to give his potatoes away free rather than throw them out. People were invited to go to designated spots across Berlin and collect potatoes free of charge.

Soup kitchens, homeless shelters, kindergartens, schools, churches and various non-profit organisations have collected the potatoes. Even Berlin Zoo has joined the "rescue operation", using several tonnes as animal feed rather than seeing them thrown away or used for biogas. Two lorry-loads of potatoes have also been sent to Ukraine.

Ordinary residents under pressure from the rising cost of living are also coming to the collection points and carrying potatoes away in sacks, buckets and even handcarts. Astrid Marz, a teacher who came to collect potatoes in Kaulsdorf on the eastern edge of the city, said she stopped counting after 150. "These will last me and my neighbours until the end of the year," she said.

The campaign, called "Four Thousand Tonnes", was organised by a Berlin-based newspaper and Ecosia, an environmentally friendly search engine. In December a farmer near Leipzig offered 4,000 tonnes of surplus potatoes after a sale was cancelled at the last minute.

Astrid Marz said that when she first saw it on social media she thought it might be fake news. Seeing pictures of huge heaps of potatoes, she could not believe the offer to take them free was real.

The campaign also lifted Berliners' spirits somewhat in the bitter cold. Although snowstorms and icy roads halted public transport, a festive atmosphere developed at the distribution points. A resident who came to pick up potatoes at Tempelhofer Feld said people helped one another lift heavy loads and swapped cooking tips.

The episode has also revived discussion of the history of the potato in Germany. In the 18th century the potato became Germany's staple food through the "Kartoffelbefehl", the potato-growing decree of King Frederick II of Prussia.

Potato recipes of all kinds are spreading online. Nutritionists are reminding people that potatoes contain important nutrients such as vitamin C and potassium. Berlin star chef Marco Müller has called for potatoes to be presented in new ways; he is making a special broth with fried potato peel and a potato vinaigrette.

Former chancellor Angela Merkel's potato soup recipe is also back in the spotlight. She once said in an interview that she mashes the potatoes herself, not using a mixer, to get the grainy texture she wants.

The free giveaway has its critics, however. Local farmers complain that it has flooded the market further and is pushing down the price of their potatoes even more. Environmentalists say it is the result of an unregulated food system, recalling the "butter mountains" and "milk lakes" of the 1970s.

According to the organisers, the final phase of the campaign will take place within the next few days. About 3,200 tonnes of potatoes are still waiting to be given away.

The report is based on The Guardian.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.