China: Potato research institute established in Xinjiang

According to a news report published by XinhuaNet, a new potato research institute was recently established in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The institute, co-founded by research agencies and potato companies from China and Kazakhstan, aims to increase regional exchanges for the development of the potato industry in both countries. Members of the institute will develop high-quality potato varieties well suited for the environment and the market demands of consumers in Central Asia. They will also cooperate in cultivation technology and potato processing technologies. There is a rising demand for land resources to grow potatoes in China, according to Xinjiang’s regional academy of agricultural sciences. By 2020, more than 6.7 million hectares of potatoes are expected to be planted in China, of which 30 percent can potentially be processed, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. China is by far the world’s largest producer of potatoes, with a current planted area of around 5.6 million hectares. (Source: XinhuaNet)