There are several hurdles to go through from vegetables to potatoes, the staple grain.

Vegetables on the plate, staple food in the bowl, a small potato reverse transformation, how many hurdles do you have to cross?

In 2014, China's potato planting area and output accounted for about 1/4 of the world, and it has become the largest country in production and consumption. This year, China launched potato staple food products and industrial development strategy, planting "water, fertilizer, medicine, labor", nutrition "perfect" potato as corn, rice, wheat three staple food supplement related product development.

On July 29, during the World Potato Congress, the Ministry of Agriculture held the "International Seminar on Potato Staple Food Products and Industrial Development" in Yanqing, Beijing. The meeting held that the conditions for China to promote the development of potato staple food have been met and the time is ripe.

Breakthrough in independent breeding technology

From vegetables to grain, the basic conditions have been met

Potato from vegetable to grain, not only to increase yield and planting so simple, one of the key, to have suitable for the national conditions of excellent provenance support. In the past two years, China's breeding technology has made breakthrough progress.

At the seminar, experts introduced that potatoes are used as staple food abroad, referring to potato flour, which retains all the nutrients of fresh potatoes and can be stored for 15 years under the same storage conditions as other staple foods. The potato family is huge, with more than 2000 varieties worldwide, but only a few potatoes with high dry matter content can be processed into full flour.

Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences vegetable flower research institute researcher Li Guangcun introduced, At present, Domestic whole flour processing raw material varieties are basically foreign "Xia Poti" and "Atlantic" two varieties dominate the world, But these two varieties because of the need for large water hypertrophy medicine, Planting cost is high, Suitable area is small, Disease resistance is poor, General farmers difficult to plant successfully.

"As of 2014, 446 approved varieties have been bred in China, most of which are fresh potato edible varieties, but breakthroughs have occurred." Introduction of Jin Liping, chief scientist and breeding expert of national potato industry technology system.

Chen Mengshan, secretary of the party group of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and researcher, revealed that at present, potato staple food industrialization public welfare industry scientific research projects, has screened out about 20 suitable varieties of staple food industrialization from the existing main varieties, especially in Hengshui, Hebei Province groundwater over-mining area replacement planting test, a total of 7 varieties of experiments, under the condition of complete rain cultivation, there are 5 varieties with a yield of more than 2 tons per mu.

There is also good news from Heeson Sanhe Potato Company, the largest potato seed enterprise in China: after more than ten years of investment and efforts of more than 3 billion yuan, the company has bred 18 new potato strains with excellent variety characteristics and suitable for different functions. At present, regional tests are being carried out, among which 2 strains have especially high dry matter content and strong adaptability, suitable for whole flour processing.

The lack of good germplasm resources has been the main limiting factor in potato breeding in China, and this situation is expected to be improved. On July 28, the Asia-Pacific Center of the International Potato Center was officially inaugurated in Yanqing. Wei Beina, director of the International Potato Center, said that in the future, the International Potato Center will repay China with new research and development achievements, benefiting Asia Pacific and the world.

Diversified staple food products

Cultivate new consumption habits, the time is ripe

Potato transformation, providing a nutritious staple food, but another key is, are they delicious? Is it convenient?

China is a big potato producer, but the consumption and utilization level is generally low, mainly fresh food. In Europe, the average annual consumption of potatoes amounts to 84.2 kg, mainly processed food consumption. Lu Xiaoping, director of the Asia-Pacific Center of the International Potato Center, believes that China should develop potato staple food products with its own characteristics.

In the staple food display kitchen of the World Potato Congress, the reporter saw an amazing "potato feast", French fries, mashed potatoes, potato porridge, steamed bread, cake, noodles, pancakes, etc., color, fragrance, shape and taste complete.

This isn't the first time potato staple products have come to the public. On June 1 this year, 30% potato flour steamed bread, a potato staple food product developed by the Institute of Agricultural Products Processing of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences for two years, was placed on the shelves of major supermarkets in Beijing, marking that potato staple food products have officially become a member of residents 'dining tables.

Dai Xiaofeng, director of the Institute of Agricultural Products Processing of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that by adding a certain proportion of potatoes to traditional staple foods and processing them into new potato staple food products, it is expected to enhance the nutritional value of traditional staple foods and will largely meet people's demand for nutritious staple foods.

Being able to get consumer recognition is the direct driving force of staple food. In Beijing Wumei supermarket Yutingqiao shop, Staff told reporters: "Workday potato steamed bread can sell twenty or thirty bags, Weekend sell more." Correspondingly, ordinary steamed bread can sell two or three hundred bags a day.

Lu Xiaoping said that people's understanding of potatoes also stays in general vegetables, starch raw materials or "relief food" in poverty periods, and is now mistaken by many consumers for fattening food. "In fact, potatoes are the healthiest food. They are not only nutritious, but almost free of fat, cholesterol and sodium." Gansu Agricultural University School of Food Science and Engineering Professor Bi Yang said.

Wheat, rice and corn are our staple foods, which have been settled by thousands of years of living habits. In order to become a new staple food variety on the dining table of Chinese people, potato should not only work hard on the characteristics of product quality and pattern, but also cultivate the consumption habits of Chinese people. I am afraid it will be a long-term process.

Taste goes up, price goes down.

Price advantage, market competitiveness

Without price advantage, there is no market competitiveness. At present, the high price of potato flour is a major bottleneck on its staple food transformation road.

"The price of a ton of white potato flour is currently around 10,000 yuan. The price of purple potato flour exceeds 30,000 yuan, while the price of a ton of ordinary flour is only 3000 yuan." Heeson Sanhe Potato Company Chairman Liang Heeson said. He explained that the main reason for the high price was that potato flour processing could not be done on a large scale like wheat, rice and corn. At present, there are only a few enterprises that can process potato flour in China, and the processing equipment is mainly imported, and the machinery input cost is relatively large.

Fresh potatoes, storage is another problem to break through. Due to poor storage systems, potatoes are lost up to 15% annually in storage and transportation. "Some media interpret the phenomenon of 'potato low-cost farmers' every few years as excessive potato planting, which is actually caused by the lag of storage system." Liang Xisen said.

With the implementation of potato staple food products and industrial development strategy, the market demand for whole flour will increase, thus stimulating the development of large-scale processing of whole flour and the research and development of equipment."However, in the early stage of enterprise growth, the state still needs to give certain subsidies to reduce the cost of staple food products and enhance competitiveness." Dr. Xie Kaiyun, director of the Beijing Liaison Office of the International Potato Center, thinks.

"Although the road for potatoes to become staple food products is not smooth, the development of potato staple food products and industries is progressing in an orderly manner. I believe that as long as all departments jointly promote the implementation of this project, the spring of potato staple food will definitely come." Qu Dongyu, vice minister of agriculture, said. Wang Xiaohu, director of the Food and Nutrition Development Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, predicts that by 2020, China's potato production is expected to reach 130 million tons, and staple food consumption accounts for 40% of total potato consumption.