Ebian Potatoes

Ebian Potatoes

Ebian Potatoes are a Geographical Indication (GI) agricultural product.

　　Ebian Yi Autonomous County is located in the Xiaoliangshan Mountainous area of southwestern Sichuan Province. The fertile soil and unique climate conditions make it highly suitable for potato cultivation. Ebian potatoes have a long history. As early as the 1915 edition of the "Ebian County Annals," it was recorded: “In the highland Yi areas, crops include corn, buckwheat, and potatoes, while the lowland mountain areas mainly produce corn, rice, wheat, and tubers... Before liberation, the Ebian Yi people primarily consumed corn, buckwheat, and potatoes (known as 'yangyu' or 'yanglai' in the local Yi dialect) as staple foods, while the Han people also ate potatoes, melons, beans, and other crops.” In the Yi language, potatoes are also called "yangyo" or "wolai" and are an indispensable crop in daily life events such as weddings, funerals, marriages, and other ceremonies. Every Ebian household cooks a pot of potatoes every morning to be eaten as a midday snack. During traditional Yi meetings such as "Jierjitiexi" and "Mengge," it has been a longstanding custom to discuss issues while roasting and eating potatoes. Historically, almost every farming household in Ebian planted potatoes. Over years of production practice, many cultivation techniques and planting models for potatoes have been developed. In 1994, the county first conducted trials and demonstrations of applying plant growth regulators to potatoes, and this technology won the Third Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from Leshan City in 1998. In recent years, the development of the Ebian potato industry has received strong support and assistance from higher authorities and various departments, achieving commendable results. In 2008, Ebian County was designated as a Science Popularization Demonstration Base (for virus-free potatoes) by the China Association for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance. From 2008 to 2010, it was listed by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture as a virus-free potato seed breeding base. In 2010, it was designated by the Ministry of Agriculture as a county for high-yield potato cultivation initiatives. In 2011, it was listed as a key county by the Sichuan Potato Innovation Team. In April 2011, the Sichuan Winter Potato Production Technology Seminar and Field Observation Conference was successfully held in Ebian. After evaluation by expert panels, it was confirmed that Ebian’s winter potato high-yield breakthroughs in dryland cultivation, rotation of dry and paddy fields, and the high-yield “potato/corn/vegetable” three-crop model all ranked first in the province. Publications such as Sichuan Daily, Sichuan Science and Technology News, and China.com.cn reported on these achievements under headlines like “Ebian: Shining Prospects with Potato Industry Leading to Prosperity,” “Learning from Ebian’s Experience to Push the Provincial Potato Industry to New Heights,” and “Ebian Winter Potatoes Set Large-Scale High-Yield Records in Sichuan,” all of which spoke highly of Ebian’s potato development and efforts. Following the directive of Zhong Mian, Executive Vice Governor of Sichuan Province, who emphasized, “Continue to support Ebian County in expanding promotion efforts, and take the lead in demonstrating and promoting these practices in the Liangshan and Xiaoliangshan Yi regions,” the Ebian Yi Autonomous County Party Committee and People’s Government have vigorously promoted high-yield breakthroughs in winter potato dryland cultivation, rotation of dry and paddy fields, and the potato-corn-vegetable planting model. In 2012, the county’s potato planting area reached 120,000 mu, and by 2014, the goal is to expand this to 200,000 mu, generating an additional income of 200 million yuan, with commercial potato output surpassing 300,000 tons. The aim is to establish Ebian County as a national model county for winter potato cultivation and a provincial modern potato demonstration county.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected geographical indication area for Ebian Potatoes includes 19 towns (townships) in Ebian Yi Autonomous County, Leshan City, Sichuan Province: Shaping Town, Maoping Town, Xinlin Town, Wudu Town, Dabao Town, Baiyang Township, Honghua Township, Yiping Township, Yangcun Township, Yanghe Township, Jinyan Township, Lewu Township, Heizhugou Town, Haqu Township, Wanping Township, Juemo Township, Pingdeng Township, Gonghe Township, and Xinchang Township, covering 129 administrative villages. The geographic coordinates are between 102°54′–103°33′ east longitude and 28°39′–29°19′ north latitude, stretching from Qingxi Village in Pingdeng Township in the east, to Shanzhifeng Village in Lewu Township in the south, to Yiwu Village in Heizhugou Town in the west, and to Pangou Village in Xinchang Township in the north. The protected area spans 239,550 hectares, with an annual output of 92,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Characteristics: Ebian potatoes are round or oval in shape, with smooth skin, yellow skin and flesh or white skin and flesh, good glossiness, shallow eyes, making them suitable for fresh consumption as a vegetable. They emit a fragrant aroma, have a sweet, smooth taste, unique flavor, and are not prone to breakage. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: Ebian potatoes contain ≥15.5% starch and ≥18.5% dry matter, along with abundant Vitamin C. (3) Safety Requirements: The environmental conditions of the production area, soil environmental quality, and farmland irrigation water quality standards comply with the non-polluting potato production base environmental quality standards specified in DB51/336-2003, GB15618, and GB5084. The use of pesticides and fertilizers during production conforms to the "Pesticide Use Guidelines for Non-Polluting Agricultural Products" (DB51/337-2003) and the "Fertilizer Use Guidelines for Non-Polluting Agricultural Products" (DB51/338-2003). Product quality meets the "Non-Polluting Food Tuber and Root Vegetable" standard (NY5221-2005).