Tahiti, July 26, 2025 – The Earth Pear or the Yacón could soon arrive on your plates. The import project, accepted by the Directorate of the Environment, is in the hands of the Biosecurity Department. So, would you like to taste this South American tuber?
It is an individual (whose name remains secretly kept by the administration) which is at the origin of this project. If projects to import new species are often subject to study, that of the earth pear could see the light of day.
“In the past, many species have been introduced without much precaution, due to the absence of natural predators in Polynesia. Some have unfortunately become invasive. However, a study that we conducted demonstrates that this plant does not present this risk: its gendered parts being separated, it cannot reproduce naturally, which dismisses any danger of uncontrolled propagation ”explains Taivini Teai, Minister of Agriculture.
Accepted by the Directorate of the Environment (DIENN), the file is now studied by the Directorate of Biosecurity. “” “Import conditions must be fixed, for example if treatment is needed before. It will take us a month to study the file. It will then be presented, then validated – or not – by the Commission ”details Laura Hartmann, from the Department of Biosecurity of French Polynesia. Then, a test phase will be carried out by the Directorate of Agriculture (DAG) in an experimental land in Papara.
The purpose of the establishment of this new species? “” “It could be developed as part of food sovereignty ”underlines the minister. Coming from the same family as the Jerusalem artichoke and the sunflower, this tuber has many promises. It would have a very low glycemic index, with an almost zero impact on blood sugar levels, which would make it a potential ally for people with diabetes (see below).