Plastic-film Potatoes

Plastic-film Potatoes

　　Plastic-film Potatoes

　　Huangjia Village, under the administration of Guapo Town, Huaxian County, is traversed from east to west by Provincial Highway 101 and the Longhai Railway. The village is made up of three natural villages and includes four villager groups, with 238 farming households, a population of 939, and 1,300 mu of cultivated land. It is a provincial-level “One Village One Product” demonstration village focused mainly on growing plastic-film potatoes, as well as a science and technology demonstration village under the provincial Department of Agriculture. In 2007, the per capita net income was 3,000 yuan, which was 27% higher than the county average.

　　Plastic-film potato cultivation in Huangjia Village began in 2000. Currently, the planting area exceeds 1,180 mu, accounting for over 90% of the village’s total arable land. Over 90% of the households grow potatoes, including 300 solar greenhouse arch sheds (each covering 0.6 mu), and more than 1,000 mu are planted with double-film potatoes. The main varieties are "Kexin No. 6" and "Kexin No. 4," which are planted in early February and harvested in early May, with a growth cycle of three months. They are known for being white in color, large in size, thin-skinned, tender-fleshed, good-tasting, and early to market. In 2006, they were certified as pollution-free agricultural products by the National Ministry of Agriculture. The potatoes are mainly sold to major wholesale markets in Xi’an and Weinan, with some also exported to Sichuan, Gansu, the Northeast, and other provinces. In 2007, the income per mu of plastic-film potatoes reached 3,500 yuan, contributing an additional 2,000 yuan to the per capita income of the village solely from this crop.

　　Plastic-film potatoes have become a pillar industry for the village and have influenced over 10,000 farmers in surrounding towns such as Chishui, Xinzhuang, and Xinglin. Driven by this industry, the village established a Plastic-film Potato Professional Cooperative, actively providing technical training and materials to farmers, and setting up an agricultural information service station that delivers timely market information via the internet. To date, over 100 households have joined the cooperative. With the support of the association, the village has become the largest distribution hub for plastic-film potatoes in the county. From May to June each year, merchants flock to the area, making plastic-film potatoes a much-loved agricultural product among consumers.

　　As the “One Village One Product” initiative continues to deepen, under the leadership of the village committee, Huangjia Village will continue to update its potato varieties and promote advanced pollution-free farming techniques. It plans to establish a plastic-film potato facility agriculture demonstration garden in Huangjia, while leveraging the role of the Huangjia Plastic-film Potato Professional Cooperative to provide farmers with services related to technology, sales, and market information. These efforts aim to further strengthen and expand the plastic-film potato industry as the village’s leading economic sector.