Ningnan Winter Potatoes

Ningnan Winter Potatoes

Ningnan Winter Potatoes are a product with a geographical indication.

　　Ningnan Winter Potatoes

　　Ningnan boasts exceptional light and heat resources, with no severe summer heat or harsh winter cold. The area enjoys 321 frost-free days per year, over 2,250 hours of sunshine, and accumulated effective temperatures above 10°C reaching 6,352°C. With large diurnal temperature variations and an average temperature in the coldest month (January) still above 10°C, these conditions provide ideal circumstances for the growth and high-yield efficiency of winter potatoes. It is hailed as a “natural treasure land for developing winter potatoes” and one of the few advantageous production areas for winter potatoes in the province.

　　The market advantage of Ningnan’s winter potatoes mainly lies in their superior quality and extremely early harvest. In 2011, testing conducted by Xichang College showed that the starch content of Ningnan’s winter potatoes reached 12–14%, with very low reducing sugar levels—some varieties even showed undetectable reducing sugar. This makes them highly suitable for processing. Moreover, Ningnan winter potatoes are harvested extremely early, available before the Spring Festival, about half a month to a month earlier than Yunnan’s Yingjiang, another major winter potato producing region in China. They are mainly used as vegetables or hot pot ingredients, hitting the market during a supply gap and peak consumption period, ensuring strong demand with no sales concerns.

　　Ningnan has no large industrial or mining enterprises, resulting in clean, unpolluted soil and water sources. As such, its winter potatoes are grown as green, pollution-free agricultural products. In 2009, Ningnan County was awarded a 30,000-mu (approximately 2,000 hectares) certification by the Ministry of Agriculture as a “National Green Food Potato Production Base.” (Liangshan Daily)

　　Grain

　　Regional Scope

　　The geographical indication protection area for Ningnan Winter Potatoes includes 17 towns and townships: Pisha Town, Jinxing Township, Julei Township, Huadan Town, Hulukou Town, Hongxing Township, Datong Township, Baihetan Town, Qiluogou Township, Songxin Town, Xincun Township, Xingfu Township, Zhushou Town, Songlin Township, Xinhua Township, Shili Township, and Xiyao Township. The geographical coordinates are between 103°22′–103°37′ east longitude and 26°29′–26°47′ north latitude. The protected area spans 10,000 hectares, with an annual yield of 300,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Qualities: Ningnan winter potatoes are large and uniform in size, predominantly long oval in shape. They have shallow eyes, smooth skin, no discoloration upon cutting, and light yellow flesh. They are palatable and possess a natural fragrance. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Ningnan winter potatoes have dry matter ≥18.5%, starch ≥13.5g/100g, reducing sugar ≤0.13%, and protein ≥2.0%. 3. Quality and Safety Requirements: Ningnan winter potatoes comply with relevant national standards and legal requirements.