Potato staple grain: what is the impact of promotion as a staple grain?

Yu Xinrong, vice minister of agriculture, said at the "Seminar on the Strategy of Potato staple Grain" on the 6th that in the future, through the unremitting efforts of several years, the planting area, unit yield level, total output and the proportion of staple food products in the total consumption of potatoes have been significantly increased, making potato gradually become the fourth largest staple food crop in China after rice, wheat and corn.

The meeting held that the staple grain of potatoes has become an inevitable choice, and it is estimated that by 2020, more than 50% of potatoes will be consumed as staple grains. Yu Xinrong said that the planting area of potatoes will be expanded according to local conditions, "without squeezing out the three staple grains, the planting area of potatoes will be expanded from the current more than 80 million mu to 150 million mu, and the yield of potatoes per mu will be increased to more than 2 tons." to provide more security for national food security.

Potato staple grain: what is the impact of promotion as a staple grain?

□ dispels doubts

What are the principles to be followed in the process of grain production?

In promoting the principle, it is necessary to achieve "one no, three persistence".

"one no" means not competing for land with the three staple grains of wheat, rice and corn. The "three persistence" means to give consideration to both staple food and comprehensive utilization, to combine government guidance with market decisions, and to unify overall promotion with key breakthroughs.

Is the main grain of potato due to food security?

At present, potatoes are regarded as vegetables in many places, although they have been recognized as food crops by the Ministry of Agriculture, and they are the fourth largest food crop in China after rice, wheat and corn, but they have not risen to the status of "staple food".

Yu Xinrong, vice minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, pointed out at the seminar that the development of the main grain of potatoes is an important measure taken by the central authorities to promote agricultural restructuring, transformation, and sustainable development. it is a positive exploration to ensure national food security and promote the continuous increase of farmers' income under the new situation.

Ye Xingqing, head of the Rural Economic Research Department of the Development Research Center of the State Council, who attended the meeting, said that the Ministry of Agriculture has also made great efforts to promote potato staple grain in the past year or two, but the meeting was held at a relatively high level and is of landmark significance.

A crop research expert at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences said that for quite a long time, China did attach importance to wheat, rice and other food rations, while ignoring other food crops such as corn and potatoes, while the connotation of food security also includes the diversity of food structures. the role of potatoes should be further brought into play.

What is the impact of promotion to "staple food"?

An expert from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences said that the status of "staple grain" and "non-staple grain" is completely different. If they become staple grain crops, they will enjoy more support and preferential policies in the industry, and in scientific research, there is also a large amount of project funds invested in the development of new varieties and other research.

Ye Xingqing also said that at present, from the national team to the local team, potato research and development is very weak, wheat and other crop research as the key research object, it is easy to get the project, but compared with the potato research and development project and investment is not enough.

Ye Xingqing said that there are still poor areas in the northwest and other regions that use potatoes as a staple food, but for most places, especially in economically developed areas, potatoes are more used for cooking or leisure food.

Lu Dianqiu, deputy director of the virus-free Seedling Research Institute of the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the main grain of potatoes does not mean that it will become a fresh food mainly eaten by people, but is more reflected in processed products, the most prominent manifestation is the whole powder and starch made of potatoes, which is used to make steamed bread, noodles and other processed food.

How high is the potential for increasing production of potatoes?

Lu Dianqiu said: at present, the average output of corn, rice, and wheat in China has exceeded the world average level, but because the area of cultivated land is limited, there is little room to increase production, so it is relatively difficult to increase output.

As for potatoes, he said, the national average output is lower than the world level, which is 1/2 to 1/3 of the level of developed countries, and China's per capita consumption of potatoes is only 14 kilograms, which is far lower than that of developed countries. Potatoes still have great potential to increase production, as long as we increase the investment in technology, varieties and funds, and under the premise of not increasing the area of cultivated land, we can achieve greater production.

Wang Peilun, a potato expert at the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that if the yield of dry matter is calculated, the yield of potato can be higher than that of corn and wheat. For example, the highest yield of wheat in Shandong last year reached more than 800kg per mu. The unit yield of potato can reach more than 1000 kg.

Eating habits affect potato consumption?

The reporter visited an old grain store in Dongcheng District yesterday and found that there are few processed potatoes and the price is more expensive. As far as starch is concerned, the price of potato starch in this store is twice as much as that of ordinary corn starch. in addition, steamed bread, noodles and other staple food processed products in the store are also basically made of wheat and corn.

Wang Peilun said that at present, there is a problem of high cost of raw materials for potato processors, which is related to many factors such as time restrictions on the preservation of fresh potatoes. "Raw materials need to be stored in freezers when they leave the factory." this requires capital allocation of ex-factory facilities, "he said.

He said that for ordinary consumers, they do not consume much potatoes because of their inherent eating habits, while internationally, developed countries such as Europe and the United States consume the largest amount of potatoes, while African countries consume the least. "developed countries consume more potatoes because of their high per capita spending power."

What kind of staple food will potatoes become?

Ye Xingqing said: at present, the weak links in the potato industry are processing and consumption, because fresh potatoes are not conducive to preservation, so we advocate processing them so that they can be preserved for a long time after turning into whole powder. and whole flour can be made into steamed bread, steamed buns, noodles, bread and other food.

Lu Dianqiu also said that after potatoes are made into processed products such as whole flour, they are widely used, and they are also very convenient for storage and transportation.

He said that when potatoes become a staple food, it is not simply French fries and potato chips, but more in the form of noodles and steamed bread. Snack food is also necessary, but if it is not turned into steamed bread noodles, it can never be reflected in the staple food.

He added, "it will not have any impact on individuals. Those who like steamed bread should still eat steamed bread, and those who like noodles will still eat noodles. National policy is not coercive and can become a staple food." in the end, it is necessary to win the recognition of the common people in terms of variety, nutrition and so on. "