Puer Yellow-Core Yam

Puer Yellow-Core Yam

　　Puer Yellow-Core Yam (sweet potato) is a specialty of Ning'er Town, Ning'er County, Puer City, Yunnan Province. This type of sweet potato from Puer suffers from few plant diseases and pests, has uniformly sized tubers, and boasts a smooth, small cylindrical appearance with thin skin, a yellow core, and high starch content. Its taste is sweet and delicate, earning it a reputation as being comparable to chestnuts.

　　In Ning'er County, sweet potatoes are referred to as "yams," among which the "Puer Yellow-Core Yam" is the most famous. The "Puer Yellow-Core Yam" is primarily cultivated in villages such as Manfei in Min'an Village, La Zhangzhai and La Wangzhai in Minzheng Village, all within Ning'er Town. These areas are situated at elevations between 1,220–1,420 meters, with an average annual temperature of 18°C, annual precipitation of 1,400 mm, and a soil pH of around 6.1. The soil is a red fragrant wood soil derived from volcanic ash. The unique soil and climate conditions result in sweet potatoes that are less prone to disease, have uniform size, smooth exteriors, thin skins, yellow cores, high starch content, and a sweet, delicate taste, gaining them a reputation rivaling that of chestnuts.

　　According to research, the yellow-core yams produced in Puer are highly regarded for their rich content of dietary fiber, carotene, vitamins B and C, folic acid, mucoprotein, and trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. When steamed or roasted and consumed in moderation, they offer health benefits including promoting bowel movements, fighting cancer, preventing arteriosclerosis, controlling blood sugar, and enhancing immunity. The chlorogenic acid in them can inhibit melanin production, helping prevent freckles and age spots.

　　Minzheng Village established a "Sweet Potato Planting Professional Cooperative" in 2008, and has now also formed a "Yellow-Core Yam Planting Association." The establishment of these two organizations will help standardize the planting, storage, and sales of yellow-core yams, steering their cultivation and marketing onto a regulated path. Going forward, the cooperative and association will focus on addressing the issues of low yield and high pest incidence by promoting the cultivation of "virus-free yellow-core yams." This ensures that the growing process is ecologically healthy and pollution-free, thereby strengthening and expanding the "Yellow-Core Yam" local brand. The goal is to bring this representative regional specialty to the national market and export it abroad.