Chinese government wants to increase consumption
'Sister potato' praises Chinese spud
China will further boost potato production to make the tuber one of the nation's staple foods, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Tuesday. By 2020, China will have more than 6.67 million hectares of potato planting areas, 30 percent of which can be processed into staple food, according to a document released by the MOA.
Potatoes consume 30% less water to grow than rice or grain, China’s favorite staple crops, and increasing production could help alleviate some of the severe water shortages affecting the country—projected to become more acute in the years to come. China is already the world’s largest producer, with 5.3 million acres of land dedicated to its production. But the government aims to nearly double this by 2020.
Gaining popularity on the Chinese market might prove harder for the potato. The spud is associated with poverty as it was one of the few foods available during famine years in the last century. Support has come from Feng Xiaoyan, or “Sister Potato” as she is known on her Weibo page. The 52 year old lady has been making appearances on national TV to explain how potatoes are “great for nutrition and countering desertification” and to take part in numerous variety shows.
You can see video of Sister Potato singing about the marvels of the crop here (in Chinese)
Source: qz.com
