Huangping Potatoes

Huangping Potatoes

　　Huangping Potatoes are a specialty of Huangping County in Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou Province. With a long history of potato cultivation, Huangping has become the largest potato-producing county in Qiandongnan, with over 120,000 mu of planting area.

　　The cultivation of potatoes in Huangping has a long history, and the perennial planting area and total yield (converted to raw grain) rank second only to rice. Potato farming is mainly concentrated in the northern townships such as Jiuzhou, Langdong, Pingxi, Zhifang, Shangtang, Yiwanshui, Chongren, and Xinzhou, where the scale is large and the contiguous planting effect is good. These areas account for over 80% of the county’s total potato planting area. The focus is primarily on rice-potato rotation, with soil types including sandy fields and moist sandy loam fields. At an altitude of around 700 meters, the conditions are ideal for potato growth, resulting in good tuber shape, high commercial value, and strong economic returns.

　　In recent years, Huangping County has placed great emphasis on developing the potato industry. With the goals of increasing agricultural output and boosting farmers’ incomes, the county has made efforts to improve yield and quality through various measures to promote the potato sector. The area under virus-free potatoes has expanded year by year: 79,800 mu in the autumn-winter planting season of 2009, 82,600 mu in 2010, and 83,400 mu in 2011. Currently, Huangping has become the largest potato-producing county in Qiandongnan, with over 120,000 mu of planting area.

　　Currently, the main varieties planted in Huangping include Zhongshu No. 1, Zhongshu No. 2, Zhongshu No. 3, Zhongshu No. 5, Favorita, Weiyu No. 3, and Mira. There are more than 10 large-scale growers with over 50 mu each, especially in emerging potato-growing areas such as Xinzhou and Yedonghe, where potato cultivation has been developing rapidly.