Falling in love with local potatoes

A king size pancake made of potatoes is ready to be served on a plate, while models show off giant painted potatoes at the Beijing World Potato Congress last month. [Zhang Wei / China Daily]

Consumption in developing countries will continue to grow after global production increases 20 percent during past 20 years

Tian Shen is a graduate student based in Beijing and loves tucking into a dish that includes potatoes.

But being a fitness fan, she tends to go easy on french fries and opts instead for something slightly more healthy.

"I usually have boiled or mashed potatoes because they are less oily than french fries," Tian, 23, who is studying finance, said. "I enjoy starchy food and I eat potatoes once or twice a week. That means I can cut down on rice. Occasionally, I will eat french fries as a treat."

China has a weird love affair with the humble potato. It is diced and sliced before being used in various dishes, where it is mixed with other vegetables, such as green and yellow peppers.

Considered the fourth food staple in China after rice, wheat and corn, potato production has increased on average by 6 percent annually in the past 10 years.

In 2014, the country harvested 94 million tons of potatoes from 5.6 million hectares of land, making China the leading producer in the world, ahead of Russia, India and the United States.

With around 5,000 varieties, global potato production in 2013 was estimated at 368 million tons. This was an increase of more than 20 percent during the past two decades.

"As the largest producer of potatoes, China accounts for more than 25 percent of the world's production," Bayer AG, a German chemical and pharmaceutical company that specializes in agricultural pro-ducts, reported.

"With a comparably low average productivity rate of about 17 tons per hectare, the country still has great potential when compared to Europe, with 30 tons per hectare, and the US, with more than 40 tons per hectare, to further enhance its yields."

Key growing areas are the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Gansu province in the northwest of China and the southwest province of Yunnan. With cool, dry climates and constant sunlight, they are ideal for potato farming.