Rediscovering the Value of the Potato

By+Wang+hairong

The potato， with its bumpy， uneven exterior and typically dirt-covered skin， has traditionally been regarded as a humble food.

For more than 400 years， Chinese people have consumed potatoes as an ingredient， cutting it into strips to stir fry， or chopping it into chunks to stew with beef， pork， beans or eggplants to make dishes that would be considered to be on the opposite end of luxury edibles such as bird nest and abalone.

It even has a somewhat inaccurate reputation as a junk food among some of Chinas more health-conscious population， who are perhaps misled by the ubiquitous use of French fries in fast food.

Nonetheless， the crop has gained a much higher status since January 6， when a symposium co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences （CAAS） discussed strategies to promote it as a staple food just like rice， wheat and corn. For a country with a large population to feed， staple foods are of great strategic significance.

The symposium pointed out that the starch from potatoes could be processed into steamed buns and noodles， mainstays of the average Chinese dining table.

yu Xinrong， vice Minister of Agriculture， addressed the symposium. He said that making the potato a staple food is an important move toward implementing the Central Governments decisions on promoting agricultural structural adjustment and sustainable development， safeguarding grain safety and boosting farmers income.

Participants at the meeting believed that making potato a staple food represented an inevitable decision， and predicted that by the year 2020， more than 50 percent of pota- toes grown in the country will be consumed as a staple food.

Grain security

The potato originated from the Andes Mountain Range in South America and was introduced into China in the 17th century.

Currently， China is the largest potato producer in the world， accounting for about one fifth of global potato-planting area and yield， said Liu yang， a researcher with the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning， which is affiliated with the CAAS.

The Food and Agricultural Organization（FAO）s data show that in 2012， China produced 85.92 million tons of potatoes， almost doubling the yield of India， the worlds second largest producer.

Making potatoes a staple food is expected to boost Chinas grain security. The country feeds 22 percent of the worlds population while possessing only about 9 percent of the worlds arable land， according to Xinhua News Agency.

To ensure grain security， the country has set a “red line” to guarantee its arable land never falls below 1.8 billion mu （120 million hectares）.

The Ministry of Agriculture predicted that by 2020， the countrys demand for grain will exceed 50 billion kg.

Currently， the average per-unit yield of maize， rice and wheat in China has already exceeded the global average， and because of land constraints， it is difficult to improve output further， said Lu Qiudian， a researcher with the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province.

Farmers in some wheat-producing provinces are affected by dry weather and have been drawing ground water to irrigate their crops， leading to widespread land subsidence.

Most major rice-producing provinces are in the economically advanced and densely populated southern region of China， where land value is high， and there is little economic incentive for farmers to expand acreage. Rice， which needs a lot of water to grow， cant be grown in dry areas.

Lu said that there is huge growth potential to increase the yield of the potato by investing more in improving technology and species without adding acreage. The average per-unit output of potatoes in China is lower than the world average， and is one third to one half that of developed countries.

Wang Peilun， a researcher with the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of east Chinas Shandong Province， said that the drymatter yield of potatoes can be higher than that of maize and wheat. In Shandong， the yield of the most productive field was 12，000 kg per hectare in 2014， while the unit dry-matter yield of potatoes can go beyond 15，000 kg， he said.

“The potato can survive cold weather， droughts and barren environments. It has great potential to be planted in fallow fields in Chinas southern area during winter，” yu said.

The potato can also be grown in places unsuitable for wheat and corn， such as northwestern arid and semi-arid regions.

yu said that China is going to expand the acreage of potatoes from the current 5 million hectares to 10 million hectares， without crowding out any wheat， rice and maize.

After being labeled a staple food， potato growers will enjoy more policy incentives， while researchers will also be given more funds to develop new species of the crop， an expert with the CAAS told The Beijing News.

healthy diet

Statistically， the potato has always been counted as a stable food in China， said Pan Wenbo， Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production in the Ministry of Agriculture. He said that the ministry encourages people to consume potatoes as a staple rather than just as a vegetable not only to increase grain security， but also to improve peoples diet.

“The potato is rich in a wide range of nutrients， including high-quality protein， while being low in fat， so it is good for weight control and can prevent diseases in the digestive system. Processing potato into ready-to-consume staple foods or other products can make it more convenient for people with a fast-paced lifestyle to consume，” he said.

If we replace some rice in our bowl with potato， we are going to get more nutrients， including balanced amino acids， easy-to-absorb protein， and a good deal of potassium， vitamin C and B1， which are absent in rice， said Fan Zhihong， an associate professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University.

“A potato contains as much potassium as a banana and as much vitamin C as a tomato，”she said.

yet many people in China are not aware of the humble potatos nutritious value. Due to this lack of public awareness and traditional dietary habit， the potato has not organically become a staple food in Chinese peoples meals， Pan said.

Each year， Chinese people consume 40 kg of potatoes per capita， much lower than Russias 131 kg and the UKs 102 kg per capita， according to FAOs statistics released in 2008， the International year of the Potato.

A Beijinger surnamed Liu said that she usually chooses cucumber and tomatoes over potatoes because peeling potatoes is timeconsuming， and she prefers the taste of sweet potatoes to that of white potatoes.

After news about the governments effort to promote potatoes as a staple food broke， no visible change in potato sales could be detected at the Jingkelong superstore in Xisanqi neighborhood of Beijings Haidian District.

Potatoes are usually priced at 2-4 yuan（$0.32-0.64） per kg in the supermarket. A hot seller in the supermarket in winter is Chinese cabbage， sold at a discounted price of 0.56 yuan（$0.1） per kg every morning.

yu said that the potato is mainly consumed fresh as a non-staple food owing to a lack of species of the vegetable suiting Chinese peoples tastes， and lack of technology to process it into Chinese staple foods.

The potato does not contain gluten， so it is difficult to keep potato buns in the right shape and prevent potato noodles from being broken or dissolved in water， said Dai Xiaofeng， head of the Institute of Agro-Products Processing Science and Technology under the CAAS.

He said that the CAAS has successfully developed steamed buns containing 40-percent potato flour and noodles with 35-percent potato flour， which are ready to be sold at supermarkets. He said that wheat flour mixed with the right proportion of potato flour will also be put into market so that people can make potato buns and noodles at home.