The recently finished 13th China Potato Expo in Tengzhou, East China, focused on how the county-level city exploits opening up policies to support the development of the local potato industry.

The 13th China Potato Expo, with the theme “Big Food, Big Industry, and Big Platform,” took place in the city from October 23 to October 25. More than 500 exhibitors from 30 Chinese provinces as well as 18 other nations and regions were present, and on the first day, more than 30,000 people attended.

To provide fresh momentum to the sustainable growth of the regional potato industry, Tengzhou, a city renowned for its superior quality potato produce, organized the expo to discuss prospects for industry expansion with domestic and international visitors.

“Boasting a nearly century-old history of potato plantation, Tengzhou is called the hometown of potatoes in China and local potatoes are welcomed in both domestic and foreign markets thanks to their good appearance, thin and smooth skin, yellow skin, and flesh, pleasant taste, rich nutrition and high quality,” according to Xinhua.

Tengzhou has developed deep processing techniques and stable food products to enhance the local potato industry, building on the superior quality of the region’s potatoes. Tengzhou boasts the highest-yielding double-cropping planting regions.

To better meet the diverse needs of consumers, several well-known potato-based stable foods and leisure foods, including potato pancakes, potato dumplings, baked cheese and mashed potato, and potato salad, have been produced.

“By adhering to the principle of fostering big agriculture, the city has crafted a potato industrial chain composed of planting, sales, and processing of potatoes and well integrating with related R&D to boost high-quality development of local potato industry,” the release concluded.

The Agricultural Trade Promotion Center of MARA sponsored the Expo while the International Potato Center (CIP) and other institutions joined the Center in co-sponsoring the Summit.