In brief
A German farm in Saxony has initiated a massive giveaway of free potatoes in Berlin following an exceptionally large harvest. Dubbed 'the great potato rescue,' the project seeks to distribute around 4 million kg of surplus potatoes, benefiting food banks and other organizations. However, it has sparked controversy among local farmers who feel the scheme undermines market prices. While the potato distribution has gained media attention, the initiative's sustainability remains uncertain as funding diminishes.
A vast stockpile of potatoes is being given away for free by a farm in the German state of Saxony, after a bumper national harvest.
Thousands of tasty tubers have been rolling into the country's capital, Berlin, since mid-January, with residents risking icy streets to bag their share.
Dubbed the great potato rescue, it is part of a plan to stop about 4 million kg (8.8 million lb) of surplus spuds from going to ruin. Food banks, schools, and churches are among the beneficiaries, according to the organizers.
However, the enterprise was labelled a disgusting PR stunt by the Brandenburg Farmers' Association, who lamented the impact on local markets.
Germany is the European Union's potato-producing capital, and last year's harvest has left the market saturated.
Ultimately it is about putting the potato in the spotlight as a valuable food, said Berliner Morgenpost editor, Peter Schink, who helped spearhead the plan.
The newspaper teamed up with eco-friendly search engine firm, Ecosia, to coordinate and fund the distribution of the spuds.
Not wishing to discard its magnificent tubers back into the fields, Osterland Agrar says it's set to have bussed around 500,000kg to Berlin, and other parts of Germany and Ukraine.
We can store them until the middle of this year, said Hans-Joachim von Massow, Managing Director of Osterland Agrar, the agricultural firm that ended up with all the potatoes, after a customer contract was cancelled and settled.
But not everyone is celebrating.
Food is and will remain valuable, even if thoughtless do-gooders throw around free potatoes at schools and churches, said Timo Scheib from the Brandenburg Farmers' Association.
In Berlin, a special website lists 174 spud-hubs in and around the capital.
The BBC skidded optimistically along to a pickup spot at the city's de-commissioned airfield, Tempelhofer Feld, but there were no veggie sacks to be seen.
And when we sheepishly asked a local resident about whether she'd noticed any frei Kartoffeln in the area, she seemed slightly mystified, if not a little concerned for me.
Nevertheless, as potatoes took off out of Saxony, so has the story, receiving media coverage in Germany and beyond.
This is a country, after all, that has a well-known gastronomic passion for potatoes.
However, we are told by Schink that the influx is, as things stand, set to wind down in Berlin as the funding is drying up.
One more truckload can be expected once the weather is warm enough.
