BOISE, Idaho – The titans of taters have gathered for the sixth World Potato Congress in the United States’ top potato-producing state, drawing about 850 participants from 41 nations.

“We need all the key players, from the policy makers down to the field,” said Dongyu Qu, a scientist with the Chinese Academy of Agriculture, based in Beijing.

Delegates ranged from South African farmers to snack makers in Japan to potato experts in Argentina, and discussions ran from import and export deals to finding a way to use dehydrated potatoes to feed the world’s hungry.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns addressed the crowd Tuesday, noting that Idaho – which produced 12.5 billion pounds of potatoes in 2005 – was a natural location for the event’s first visit to this country. He also announced $13 million in federal money to fight an isolated infestation of potato cyst nematodes, which feed on potato roots. The infestation was discovered earlier this year in Idaho.

“When you’re talking potatoes, there are a few mystic places,” said Frank Muir, president of the Idaho Potato Commission. “You’ve got Peru, you’ve got Ireland, and you’ve got Idaho.”

Most foreign delegations brought their own interpreters but the congress supplied two, both Spanish-speaking. About 80 of the attendees were from Latin America, including Marco Alvarez, operation manager for Bariel, a snack-producing company in Toluca, Mexico.

Potato industry leaders for years have been fighting low-carb diets that cut out potatoes. They still recite long lists of the potato’s nutritional benefits, but recently hired Denise Austin – a fitness expert popular on morning television exercise programs – to tout tubers.