Huocheng Sweet Potatoes

Huocheng Sweet Potatoes

　　Huoyuan Town in Huocheng County is a well-known sweet potato production area, with over 30 years of sweet potato cultivation history. The current planting area covers around 5,000 mu, with just Huangqu Village alone accounting for 3,000 mu. More than half of the farmers in the village have achieved prosperity through sweet potato farming, and many families have seen their annual income exceed 100,000 yuan in recent years, yielding considerable economic benefits.

　　Huoyuan Town boasts naturally superior conditions for growing sweet potatoes. With abundant sunlight and heat, convenient irrigation, and sandy soil that is particularly suitable for sweet potato growth, the harvested sweet potatoes are bright and glossy, sweet and delicious, making them highly sought after in the market.

　　Leveraging its abundant sunlight and heat resources, favorable growing environment, and proximity to National Highway 218, Huoyuan Town has developed four key specialty cash crops—carrots, scallions, sweet potatoes, and yams—according to local conditions. Efforts have been made in improving cultivation and management standards, introducing new varieties, and enhancing specialty agriculture operations to build a distinctive agricultural brand and establish a “one village, one product” model. The town has applied for and registered the “Yihui” brand trademark for specialty agricultural products, and its production base has been registered and approved by the Ili Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, meeting green food standards. This has promoted the standardized and efficient development of Huoyuan Town’s specialty agriculture.

　　Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious, containing sugars, proteins, fats, crude fiber, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, C, as well as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and more. Regular consumption can enhance immune function. They also offer anti-cancer properties, help combat aging, and prevent arteriosclerosis. In addition, Huoyuan Town has introduced the cultivation of higher-nutrition purple sweet potatoes, covering nearly 1,000 mu.

　　To extend the sales period, many farmers in Huoyuan Town have built cellars to store sweet potatoes, selling them around the Spring Festival season to increase income.

　　As people place increasing emphasis on healthy foods, sweet potatoes from Huoyuan Town are gaining popularity among more and more consumers in the market.

　　Author: Chen Youming