International conference to boost potato production

Beijing will host an international conference in late July to promote cooperation in the potato industry.

The 2015 Beijing World Potato Congress will see global technical and marketing experts converge in Yanqing County to discuss potato seeding, consumption and marketing during a three-day event starting on July 28.

An international potato research center will be unveiled during the congress to help Asia-Pacific countries develop potato productivity, said Chen He'an, head of the congress organizing office.

A total of 855 delegates from 37 countries have applied to participate, he said.

Organized by the World Potato Congress, the triennial event has been held eight times in a variety of countries.

China is boosting potato acreage to make the crop the country's fourth staple food after rice, wheat and corn, as the government tries to stave off a potential food crisis by persuading people of the merits of potatoes.

The country will consume 50 billion kg more food in 2020 than it did in 2010, the Ministry of Agriculture forecast in January. With China short of farmland, the ministry stressed that it is difficult to improve the yield efficiency of wheat and rice but easier with potatoes.

A company introduced a novel potato version of the classic Chinese steamed bun to Beijing supermarkets last month, attracting much media attention.