Zichang Potatoes

Zichang Potatoes

Zichang Potatoes is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　The cultivation of potatoes in Zichang began in the late Qing Dynasty. Locally, they were used not only as a side dish but mostly as livestock feed. During the Republican era, people started making potato starch noodles (commonly known as potato noodles), but due to limited production, the practice did not develop significantly. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, under strong promotion by the county Party committee and the county government, potatoes were widely planted in Zichang and listed as a leading industry for enriching the people and strengthening the county. In 1999, a 448.6-square-meter sterile laboratory building was constructed, along with five seed breeding greenhouses and two pillar-free net sheds, establishing a "Potato Virus-Free Seed Breeding Center" for high-quality varieties. Comparative adaptability trials were conducted on 46 varieties, from which early maturing and well-adapted ones such as Early Giant White, Jin Yin No. 8 (Favorita), Kexin No. 1, Ten-Thousand-Jin Potato, Northeast White, Shepody, Kexin No. 2, Xin Ge No. 6, and Bapu No. 10 were selected for promotion within the county. In 2000, 400,000 mu of potatoes were planted, generating a total potato industry output value of 209 million yuan. Potato starch noodles, vermicelli, and refined starch became major export commodities of Yan’an City. Zichang potatoes feature smooth skin, regular shape, large and uniform size, shallow eyes, fine and dense flesh, and high starch content. They are known for their good taste, strong disease resistance, slow physiological degeneration, and rich nutritional value. In April 1995, at the naming ceremony of the first batch of “China’s Hometown of Specialties,” jointly organized by the Chinese Association of Agricultural Science Societies, the China Association for Quality Agricultural Products Development Services, the Development Research Center of the State Council, the China Specialties News, the Economic Daily, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Zichang County was named the sole “Hometown of China’s Potatoes.” The “Xiuyan” brand refined potato starch produced by the Zichang County Starch Factory won the gold medal at the China New Technology and New Products Trade Fair and the Fourth Shaanxi Provincial Technology Achievement Trade Fair in 1995.