en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP) has confirmed that the INIA-615 Negro Canaán variety of purple corn has successfully adapted to the flooded soils of the Ucayali region, achieving a yield of 2,000 kilograms per hectare in trials conducted in the Yarinacocha district, while retaining its characteristic purple appearance and antioxidant properties.
Family farming in the Amazon region has long faced challenges such as soil degradation, shortages of certified seeds, and the impacts of climate hazards like floods and droughts. The COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted technical training for a large number of producers. Against this backdrop, the IIAP, with support from the Ministry of Economy, implemented agricultural recovery actions between 2022 and 2025, cumulatively transferring 1,588 kilograms of annual crop seeds, approximately 55,000 camu camu fruit trees and forest seedlings, and distributing around 2,000 liters of organic biofertilizer.
Farmers from the July 7th village in the Yarinacocha district proactively requested purple corn seeds. Despite doubts regarding its adaptability to flooded soils, the IIAP provided 50 kilograms of seeds. Planting was carried out after the floodwaters receded in May 2025, using a manual sowing method of two seeds per hole on high-fertility plots. No chemical fertilizers were used throughout the process; only manual weeding was performed every 20 days to control weeds.
Farmer Cledys Murayari Ibaraki harvested 500 kilograms of purple corn from a 2,500-square-meter plot after a 120-day cycle, selling 450 kilograms at a price of 4 soles per kilogram and using the remainder to produce value-added products. The IIAP developed a beverage called Camuchicha, made from a blend of 60% purple corn extract and 40% camu camu pulp. Due to its high content of anthocyanins, antioxidants, and vitamin C, along with its sweet-sour and refreshing taste, it has gained widespread consumer recognition at regional fairs. The IIAP has transferred the production process for Camuchicha to 150 local farmers.
In 2026, the IIAP plans to continue promoting purple corn seeds in areas such as Yarinacocha, Callería, and Manantay, and to conduct adaptability assessments in new Amazonian ecosystems, in order to further realize the technical solution for cultivating this crop in flooded soils.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
