China: strong potato demand

As one of the most important agricultural counties in Dali city, Midu enjoys an all year round mild…

As one of the most important agricultural counties in Dali city, Midu enjoys an all year round mild climate, which makes it suitable for a lot of vegetable plantations, especially potatoes. They are large in size, good in taste, and have very smooth skins, which brings them a lot of popularity. Currently, the potato farmers can take orders when the potatoes are still in the soil, as there is no issue of sales both in China and abroad.

This year, the potato production in most of the domestic regions declined due to the impact of the sudden drop in temperatures or snow. As a consequence, a large number of potato traders swarmed to all the key potato growing counties in Dali city to purchase their potato productions. The huge market demand led to the increase of potato price position. Compared with last year, it increased over 4 Yuan per kilo, reaching a sales price of 8-10 Yuan per kilo. Therefore, the potato farmers' revenue doubled that of last year. These purchased potatoes were shipped to major cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Meanwhile, some were sold directly to southern east countries. According to Ms. Li from Midu county, the potato farmers can continue to grow celery, tomatoes and cucumbers in the soil after the potato harvest, which guarantees a very good revenue for local growers.