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 Editor's note

        Under the guidance of the government, enterprises, scientific research institutions, at present, the potato staple food development has made positive progress, product research and development to speed up. However, the development of the potato staple food is still faced with the problems of staple food processing varieties, high cost of staple food processing raw materials, inadequate marketing efforts and so on.

       "The new two dollars a kilo of potatoes." This is Yubei District, Chongqing,, a market, a few stalls on the sale price of potatoes. The stall owner Huang said: "now a lot of people like to eat potatoes, countries do not have to say to the potato development into a staple food, estimated future business will be better."
Chongqing city is the third big potato crop, is the most potential for development of the food industry. Perennial planting area of 5 million 500 thousand acres, the size of the country's sixth place ranking. In 2015, the potato planting area in Chongqing province was mu. Chongqing Municipal Agricultural Commission data show that the annual consumption of about 170 thousand tons of potato in Chongqing. In the context of the country to accelerate the promotion of potato staple food, Chongqing is also trying to make the potato into rice.
       Potato is the reservoir area, the mountains of half a grain, but also the pillar of the regional economy
Chongqing has 14 districts and counties to potato as the main industry, which accounts for half of the reservoir area. Potato in the local commonly known as half a year grain". Potato is also a pillar industry in the poor areas, such as Qin Ba mountain area, Wuling mountain area to ensure food security, the development of regional economy.
Wushan county is the focus of the production of potato in Chongqing County, perennial planting area of about 300 thousand acres.
The county mule Ping Zhen Da Wu Cun village Tan Keshan told reporters that in the altitude of 1200 meters of the black land, the village people mainly plant called "m big potato" potato. "We have planted 2 acres of land, some of their own food, some pigs. Large pick to sell, can sell more than 1 thousand dollars a year."
Because potatoes are the main crops in Wushan County, the county government has been committed to improving the economic value of potato. Last year, under the efforts of the local government, Da Wu Cun established professional cooperatives, for leading a unified "by takeovers in Wushan County Fu acme Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., unified marketing.

      "After the establishment of cooperatives, regardless of the size of the potato, if you want to sell, after loading can be dragged away, potato of 2 acres of land on the basis of the original income increased more than two thousand yuan." Tan Hill said cheerfully.
Deep processing technology commercialization, such as lag breakthrough staple
       In the main potato producing areas of Wuxi County, the annual potato planting area of about 550 thousand acres, more than 600 thousand tons of production. Here the traditional potato with is the season of harvest potatoes left part down, small seeded cut Yayan, into the ground in. "The seed of this generation, to the seven or eight generation, has been degraded." The original Wuxi County Commission discipline committee secretary Wu Shiwan said, with seed production after degradation, finally yield less than one thousand jins.
In order to ensure the stability of Wuxi potato production, in 70s of last century, some agricultural science and technology personnel to take the initiative to undertake the task of tackling the problem of potato seed degradation. By removing the use of poison potato, yield greatly improved, the lowest yield of 1 tons, the highest in more than 3 tons.
       In 2008, Wuxi's virus free potato technology to enter the Ministry of agriculture to remove poison potato seed project construction project.
Virus free technology has changed the fate of Wuxi's potato, potato became the largest in the food industry in Wuxi, the best efficiency, the highest income of farmers. "Jian Shan Zhen Ba Jia Cun Village Fan said:" my home 2 acres of detoxification of Early Maturing Potato, accept the 4800 kg, the 4300 kg to 1.5 yuan per kilogram price sale income 6450 yuan.
       Wuxi county government has established a virus-free seed potato cultivation production base in the town of Wenfeng Sambo village. "At present, the base annual production of more than 4000 million particle free tissue culture of virus free potato seed annually for the county and Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places provide 100 million mu of virus-free potato seed." Wu Shiwan told reporters.
       Healthy development is only the first step in the production of potato. Nanchuan river water district Zhenruo Feng vegetable cooperatives potato planting base person in charge Xiong Shicai busy recently, "every day to went to the field to watch, some time ago under heavy rain, late blight is too serious a." Xiong Shicai said, if you can not effectively prevent late blight, may cause 50%~80% to the potato production.
        According to the Chongqing Municipal Council responsible person, the occurrence area of 1 million 828 thousand and 500 acres of Potato Late Blight in 2015. Therefore, how to effectively prevent and control of late blight, still retaining a hurdle in the development of the road in potato food.
        In addition to late blight, there are problems such as single variety, low rate of scientific and technological rate, low level of storage and so on. In addition, low mechanization level is also one of the factors that affect the production of potato in Chongqing. Currently, only for turning tillage and ridging of the micro farming machine, seeding, fertilizing and harvesting suitable for use in the mountain areas of small and medium sized machine for almost nothing.
        When they grow up, they also have trouble ". "At present, Chongqing potato processing mainly to starch, vermicelli mainly, the lack of suitable local mass consumption of staple food products, commercialization, the staple food of deep processing technology lags behind, the product added value is not high." National potato industry technology system of Chongqing comprehensive experimental station of Huang Zhenlin said Chongqing potato starch processing, annual production capacity of 6.5 million tons, only 2 million tons of processing enterprises, processing a smaller scale, driven enterprises industry development driving force is not strong. According to the existing processing scale, the annual processing of fresh potatoes in Chongqing is about 470 thousand tons, accounting for only 7% of the total output. This is the bottleneck that must break through.

       Chongqing City, about 1/3 of the arable land distribution at an altitude of 800 meters above the mountain, the potato is the ecological advantage of these areas of crops. Therefore, how to overcome the problems in the production and sales process, so that the potato "usher in the spring", is the Chongqing agricultural sector is working to explore the problem.

      In order to accelerate the healthy development of potato industry in Chongqing, city farming appoint integrated each district resource endowment, industrial base and location advantages, optimizing the layout of potato production according to the different seasons and uses. Potato production mainly in the processing of starch based, while also growing part of the vegetable potato. In the central and western regions of Chongqing to vegetables potato, rational use of temperature, light, water and soil resources, carry out various forms of intercropping, crop rotation, autumn and winter potato planting area expanded, fully tap the potato production potential in the autumn and winter.

      The deep processing of potato is in a blank state, low economic value added, short industrial chain, which is the problem of the development of Chongqing potato staple food industry. Chongqing Municipal Agricultural Commission relevant responsible person pointed out that to expand processing field, the development of refined potato starch, granular powder and French fries, potato chips and puffed food, instant potato products, potato semi-finished products. At the same time, but also the focus of the development of a rich regional characteristics, different nutritional function, suitable for different groups of diversified potato staple food products, innovation and development to fresh mashed potato is the main ingredient of noodles, potato cake, bread and other food processing for achieve a processing rate of over 20%, potato staple food as soon as possible.
       Increase the application of technology research and promotion of the development of the potato industry is particularly important". Huang Zhenlin proposed to strengthen the potato late blight monitoring and prevention and control, and actively test and demonstration of no tillage and small mechanical planting technology, and vigorously promote straw mulching and plastic film mulching technology. "But also to carry out a kind of potato storage methods and storage technology research, research for Chongqing mountain of seed tubers and commodity potato small storage (PIT), explore frame hide, heap reservoir, bagged storage, storage box, scattering light cache in a variety of ways, improve storage level of fresh tuber."
       Huang Zhenlin also suggested that speed up the potato no pollution agricultural products, green food and organic food certification, guide township agricultural workers, village cadres, planting large, science and technology demonstration households form a potato professional cooperatives, marketing intermediary organization and agent team. Through the unified material supply, technical guidance, information release, organization of production and sales service, improve the degree of organization of potato production, guide enterprises and associations, potato farmers establish benefit coupling mechanism, implementation of the order.

      Potato staple food development is an innovative system engineering, involving the production, processing, consumption and other links. Reporters participated in the day before the international forum held in Zhaotong, Yunnan, potato seed potato, potato staple development must lay a solid foundation for the development of potato industry.
      First of all, to lay a good potato standardization, scale production of agricultural base, to achieve stable production of potato.
A survey shows that the proportion of low yielding land in the potato field, the degree of the scale of the variety is very low. Infrastructure is weak, the ability to resist natural disasters. The original condition has not changed, dependent on the weather. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the agricultural infrastructure construction in the middle and low yield fields.
      Secondly, to build a complete industrial chain of potato.
      The significance of the implementation of the strategy of potato staple food in the country is that the fresh sweet potato is used as a grain reserve after the conversion. Fresh sweet potato is generally only reserve for 1 year, and processed into powder, starch reserves for more than 10 years, compared with rice, corn and wheat and other traditional food in reserve more resistant to storage. Therefore, to vigorously promote the development of equipment and deep processing is the inevitable choice for the development of potato industry.
      Although the Yunnan Province has natural advantages of the development of the potato industry, but because of the undeveloped secondary industry into potato processing, marketing and potato production enterprise too little, processing, export and seed ratio is too low, natural advantages have not translated into economic advantages. This is also an important factor restricting the development of potato staple food in many places. How to encourage processing enterprises to enter, is the key to enhance the ability to create the brand, is an important part of the formation of a complete industrial chain of potatoes. Zhaotong City through crosswise Union, strengthen with the International Potato Center, Yunnan Normal University, Yunnan Provincial Academy of agricultural sciences research institutions cooperation, has established the complementary advantages, market demand oriented production learning research situation of the integration of cooperative research and development.
       Again, to improve the quality of farmers' science and technology.
       The potato is very sensitive to water, pests and diseases are more serious, need to obtain high yield intensive and meticulous farming and pest control. In the southwest of Yunnan, the potato is mainly distributed in the high altitude and cold mountainous areas, mostly ethnic minority areas, extensive cultivation model to be time to improve. Especially with the young labor force of migrant workers engaged in agricultural production, the quality need to be improved.
       In Zhaotong seed potato International Forum, experts suggest that should joint institutions of higher learning for growers to provide professional theory help and promote thoroughbred fine law mode of production, as far as possible to allow farmers to obtain the high quality a grade seed potato. In addition, we should pay special attention to the typical cultivation of farmers, so that it plays a good role in leading the demonstration, to build a platform to strengthen the communication between the masses. This should be of value to the potato production in the southwest and even in the whole country.
        The potato industry bigger and better, not only requires the local government to take a long look at the correct guidance, but also need to grow households, enterprises and research institutions and other common efforts. To grasp the opportunity to develop the potato staple food, give full play to regional advantages, so that the potato can really drive the prosperity of the western side of the economy.
(article source: China Agricultural News Network - Farmers Daily)