Scientific and technological innovation is indispensable to the development of potato as a staple food
On January 6, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the National Food and Nutrition Advisory Committee, and the China Seed Association held in Beijing a symposium on the development strategy of potato as a staple food, with the theme of potato as a staple food and national food security, to discuss in depth the strategic significance, development approach, objectives and tasks, and ways of advancing the development of potato as a staple food. Vice Minister of Agriculture Yu Xinrong pointed out at the symposium that the development of potato as a staple food is an important measure for thoroughly implementing the central government's requirements on promoting agricultural structural adjustment, transformation of development mode, and sustainable development, and is an active exploration under the new situation to safeguard national food security and promote the continuous increase of farmers' incomes. It is necessary to firmly establish the concept of nutrition guiding consumption and consumption guiding production, take scientific and technological innovation as the guide, adopt multiple measures simultaneously, and strive to promote the formation of a new pattern in which potatoes and grains develop in a coordinated manner, so as to better meet the people's new requirements for the nutrition and health of staple food consumption.
The meeting held that making potato a staple food has become an inevitable choice. Advancing the development of potato as a staple food in accordance with the situation is conducive to improving the dietary structure and satisfying the people's desire to enhance their physical fitness and health. Advancing the development of potato as a staple food in response to the situation is conducive to tapping production potential and opening up a new way to safeguard national food security. Advancing the development of potato as a staple food by following the situation is conducive to alleviating the pressure on resources and the environment and achieving sustainable agricultural development.
The meeting proposed that the essence of making potato a staple food is to use potatoes to process staple food products such as steamed buns, noodles, and rice noodles that suit Chinese people's consumption habits, realize the current transformation of potatoes from non-staple food consumption to staple food consumption, from raw material products to industrialized series of finished products, and from subsistence consumption to nutritional and healthy consumption, and, as a supplement to China's three major staple grains, gradually become the fourth major staple food crop. In terms of development goals, efforts should be made, through several years of work, to achieve significant progress in the potato planting area, per-unit yield level, total output, and the proportion of staple food products in total potato consumption, and to gradually realize the specialization of potato production varieties, regionalization of planting, mechanization of production, industrialization of operations, and staple-food-ization of products, forming a new pattern in which potatoes and grains develop in a coordinated manner. In terms of the principles for advancing the work, it is necessary to achieve “one no and three persistences.” The “one no” means not competing with the three major staple grains of wheat, rice, and corn for water and land. The “three persistences” means persisting in giving consideration to both staple-food-ization and comprehensive utilization, persisting in combining government guidance with market determination, and persisting in unifying overall advancement with breakthroughs in key areas.
Experts suggested that making potato a staple food involves many links such as scientific research, production, processing, circulation, and consumption, and is a complex systematic project. It is necessary to continuously increase support, concentrate efforts on tackling key problems, and as soon as possible research, develop, and produce a batch of staple food products that meet market demand, enrich residents' dining tables, and safeguard people's health. The next step is to formulate development plans, carry out research on technical models for staple-food-ization, improve and perfect the processing techniques for staple-food-ization, do a good job in publicity and guidance for staple food consumption, and truly make potatoes a staple food on ordinary people's dining tables.
The symposium was chaired by Chen Mengshan, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Bi Meijia, Chief Economist of the Ministry of Agriculture. Wang Guoqiang, Vice Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Huang Xuming, Vice Governor of the Zhejiang Provincial Government, Qu Dongyu, Vice Chairman of the Ningxia Autonomous Region Government, Wan Baorui, Director of the National Food and Nutrition Advisory Committee, as well as relevant responsible comrades from the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Food and Drug Administration, and the Development Research Center of the State Council, responsible comrades from agricultural departments of some provinces (regions), and experts in potato seed potatoes, processing, production, and food attended the meeting.