Trend: More Chinese taking to potatoes

Foods made from potatoes are reportedly more popular than before in China, although the prices are slightly higher. The changes have come about as China began boosting the total potato cultivation acreage, making the potato one of the country’s top staples to better ensure food security under the pressure of dwindling farmland, water and labor assets, among other issues. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, China will have more than 6.67 million hectares of potato planting areas by 2020. “Potatoes grow well, are easily planted and stored, and boast rich nutritional content,” said Li Xuewen, an official with Dingxi’s potato industry office. As the government campaign deepens, more companies are taking a bigger slice of the market. Dingxi, a leading potato-growing base in Gansu, has 15 potato-based food processing manufacturers and 22 production lines, with annual production capacity exceeding 120,000 metric tons. The booming potato industry is also benefiting farmers. More