Xihe Potatoes

Xihe Potatoes

　　Xihe Potatoes are a specialty of Xihe County in Longnan City, Gansu Province. Spanning both the warm temperate and mid-temperate zones, Xihe County’s distinctly varied climate fosters a rich diversity of produce. Xihe Potatoes are known for their floury texture and large size, with a cultivation area of 300,000 mu and an annual output of 400,000 tons.

　　Potatoes are one of the main crops in Xihe County, contributing to 25% of the county's farmers’ income. They are also one of the four key specialty industries prioritized by the county. To expand and strengthen this industry, in recent years Xihe County has invested in building production bases, supporting leading enterprises, and expanding markets. The county has also focused on providing comprehensive services throughout the pre-production, production, and post-production stages. Gradually, this has led to an industrial structure characterized by large-scale planning, diversified varieties, and specialized production, making the potato industry one of Xihe’s most distinctive and competitive advantage sectors.

　　In recent years, Xihe County has invested substantial funds to introduce high-quality varieties and has established five potato seed breeding bases. Breeding areas covering 3,500 mu have been promoted across 135 villages in 14 townships. Additionally, one 10,000-mu demonstration belt has been set up in each of the four townships—Heba, Xinglong, Suhé, and Jiangxi. The county has built a three-tier potato cooperative organization system at the county, township, and village levels, consisting of one county-level potato union, 20 township-level cooperatives, and 150 village-level cooperatives. Relying on these specialized cooperatives, Xihe County has formed over 40 socialized convenience service teams to provide services such as planting, fertilizing, weeding, transporting, and storing for cooperatives (enterprises) and farming households. At the same time, through land transfer, more than 40,000 mu of land have been transferred in major potato-producing townships such as Heba, Xiyu, and Suhé. This has enabled the establishment of a first-grade virus-free seed potato demonstration base covering 9,400 mu and a second-grade virus-free seed potato demonstration base covering 38,000 mu, significantly enhancing the intensification and scale of the county’s potato industry.