Falling in love with local potatoes

A king size pancake made of potatoes is ready to be served on a plate, while models show off giant painted potatoes at the Beijing World Potato Congress last month. [Zhang Wei / China Daily]

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Dingxi in Gansu province supplies fast food giants McDonald's and KFC with its potatoes, which are then turned into french fries, for their thousands of outlets here.

"China's potato yield has increased from approximately 12 tons per hectare 40 years ago to 16 tons per hectare now, and the planting area has grown by 20 percent," Barbara Wells, director of International Potato Center, said at the World Potato Congress in Beijing last month.

Still, the country consumes just 41.2 kilograms of potatoes per capita annually. That is well below the average consumption level of Western countries, which is more than 70 kilograms per capita annually.

But with its ultra-low fat content, potato is gaining popularity with consumers here. An average-size potato contains as much protein as an egg, and 10 times more vitamin C than an apple.

"Potatoes are good options when you look at the nutritional value," Bi Yang, a professor at the Gansu Agricultural University, told the Xinhua News Agency. "This is often overlooked."

The government plans to boost potato production as part of its policy to beef up food security by 2020. This will also help increase incomes for farmers.

Already there are more potato products on the market. Food brands have introduced bread, noodles, dumplings, pancakes and cakes all made from potato.

You can even find potato-flavored ice cream and sweet potato juice as companies try to attract a new generation of customers.

"The consumption of potatoes in developing countries will continue to grow significantly from a relatively low base, and there will be more opportunities," Percy Misika, the United Nations food and agriculture representative in China, said.

Repacking and promoting potato as a healthy product in a planned diet will be crucial if the market here is to continue to grow. Finding the right balance will be vital in changing consumer perceptions.

"China should gradually adjust its consumption structure," Ke Bingsheng, president of China Agricultural University, said. "We need to develop different potato varieties with distinctive flavors and introduce other processed products that are relevant to modern life."