Current Development and Prospect: Potato
Production and Processing in China
Ma, Shuping
Department of Crop Production
Ministry of Agriculture, PR China
The importance of potato industry
Fifth most important food crop in China:
Vegetables and staple food
Processing
Poverty alleviation
Food security
Farmer’s income
1. Over view potato production in China
1.1 Steady growth of production
Mi l l i on ha
Changes of planting area in the last 22 years
6. 00
5. 00
4. 00
3. 00
2. 00
Pl ant i ng ar ea
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
0. 00
1986
1. 00
Changes of potato production in the last 20 years
Mi l l i on t on
80. 00
70. 00
60. 00
50. 00
40. 00
30. 00
20. 00
10. 00
19
86
19
87
19
88
19
89
19
90
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
0. 00
Changes of potato yield in the last 22years
t ons per ha
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
17. 0
16. 0
15. 0
14. 0
13. 0
12. 0
11. 0
10. 0
9. 0
8. 0
7. 0
6. 0
5. 0
4. 0
3. 0
2. 0
1. 0
0. 0
10 leading provinces by area
Gans u
Inner M ongol i a
Gui z hou
13%
22%
13%
4%
4%
5%
6% 6%
Yunnan
C hongqi ng
Shanx i
6%
9%
12%
Si c huan
Shaanx i
H ei l ongj i ang
N i ngx i a
other
In
e
G
r Gu a n
M iz s
o h u
n o
S go u
ic l i
h a
C Yu ua
h n n
o
S ng na
h q n
an i
n
S do g
h n
H
e G aa g
il u n
o a x
n n i
g g
N ji a xi
i n ng
S gx
h ia
an
H
L u xi
ia b
o e
n i
H i ng
e
H na
u n
H na
e n
F be
u i
ji
X J an
in il
i
Z
G h j ia n
u ej n
a ia g
n
g n
Q do g
in n
J gh g
ia a
n o
g
A su
J nh
ia u
n i
g
T xi
ib
e
t
n
Yield changes by province in 2007
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
Distribution of potato
1.2 Dominant zones being formed
–Growing 49% of China’s potato
–Main region for seed potatoes
–For processing
–For fresh market
The Northern single
cropping zone
Ⅰ
Ⅱ
Ⅳ
The Southwestern mixed
cropping zone
-39%
-diverse geography
and climate
-For fresh and
processing
The central
double
cropping zone
Ⅲ
Winter cropping zone
-5% of China’s
potato
-early fresh
-for export
－7%
－expanding
－rotation with rice
－early fresh and
export
1.3 Expanded use of improved variety and quality
seed
Varieties
>120 varieties have been developed in last
10 years
90 of them being grown commercially
presently
1.3 Expanded use of improved variety and quality
seed
Seed potatoes production
400 million of minitubers produced
25% of total growing area use good quality seed
Seed and marketing participated by institutes,
univeristies, enterprises and joint ventures
23 national minituber propagation centers have
been established
2 national
centers
potato quality supervision
Seed potatoes production
Main seed potato production region
North single cropping regions
• Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Gansu,
Ningxia, and Qinghai
• Seed tubers are transported to central and
winter cropping area
Southwest mixed-cropping regions
• Guizhou, Yunnan, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan
• Supplying seed tubers inside the region
1.4 Improvement in cropping mode and
culture technology
mulching for keeping soil moisture in the North
mechanized farming
Dripping under mulch in Qinghai
1.4 Improvement in cropping mode and
culture technology
mulching for keeping soil warm
intercropping
1.4 Improvement in cropping mode and
culture technology
no/less tillage with rice straw
covering
2. Overview of potato Processing industry
> 5000 enterprises ， among them, only 140 in
large scale(10,000 products per year)
Refined starch: 2 million tons of designed capacity,
300,000tonnes output. Potato shortage.
flour ： about 10 companies with a capacity of
100,000 tons, output 30,000 tons
fries ： about 10 companies with processing
capacity of 130,000 tons, output 70,000tons
Chips: about 30 with processing capacity of
130,000 tons
Starch noodles: 80,000 tons
3.Technical needs
seed potatoes quality improvement
Varieties development
Mechanization of farming
Storage technology
Processing
4.Prospects
Growing consumer demand inside China
Per capita increased from 14kg in 2000 to 38 kg in 2006.
More Raw material for processing
Quality seed potaoes
Bright prospects for exports
Increasing of international trade in 2000-2006
Geographical advantage for export potato to neighbouring
countries (potential markets)
Importers of frozen fries in ESEA
(2002)
Rep.of Korea
China
9%
17%
20%
Japan
54%
ASEAN