China has been the world's number one producer for many years, promoting the growth of "small potatoes" into the number one "big industry"
Potatoes are an important food crop in China, as well as an economic crop and feed crop. In recent years, various regions and departments have increased policy support, promoted the development of the entire industry chain, and promoted the growth of "small potatoes" into "big industries".
This is the news that the reporter learned from a press conference held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on the 8th. The press conference introduced the relevant situation of the 2023 China Dingxi Potato Conference.
Tang Ke, Director of the Market and Information Technology Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that the development of the potato industry is of great significance for ensuring national food security, consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation, and comprehensively promoting rural revitalization. In recent years, the potato planting area in China has remained stable at about 70 million mu, with a yield of nearly 90 million tons, accounting for about a quarter of the world's total. The yield has been ranked first in the world for many years.
At the same time, the yield level has been increasing year by year, and the industrial chain has been strengthened and extended. In the past 10 years, the yield of fresh potatoes per mu has increased by over 200 kilograms, reaching around 1290 kilograms. The scale of the main production areas in the northwest and southwest has further increased. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has established a potato industry technology system and carried out research and development of common key technologies in key links of the entire industry chain.
More than 70% of potatoes in our country are grown in poverty-stricken areas. According to Tang Ke, relevant departments guide enterprises to establish a mechanism of interest linkage with planting entities through the development of order industries, guaranteed price acquisitions, leading enterprises+cooperatives+farmers, and other methods, driving farmers to increase their income by more than 200 yuan per mu.
"From the perspective of international trade, China's potato imports and exports have steadily increased in recent years, maintaining a surplus. The main export products are fresh potatoes and frozen potato chips, while the main imported products are potato starch." Xu Jianfei, a researcher at the Institute of Vegetable and Flower Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the development prospects of the potato industry are broad, but it also faces challenges from adverse factors such as climate change.
Xu Jianfei stated that the next step is to cultivate high-quality, high-yield, and multi resistant varieties through technological innovation, promote the application of green and efficient production technologies, seize the rapid development opportunities of the prefabricated vegetable industry, develop green, healthy, and nutritious foods suitable for different consumer groups and taste needs, develop deep processing, drive industrial upgrading, and improve planting income.
It is understood that the China Dingxi Potato Conference has been held 14 times since 2008, and is an important platform for potato product display, economic and trade negotiations, and investment attraction. This year's conference will be held from September 15th to 17th in Dingxi City, Gansu Province, showcasing new technologies, processes, and products comprehensively. At the same time, activities such as the Potato Industry Health and Sustainable Development Forum and Investment Promotion Conference will be held.
