Black potatoes from the Pamir Plateau hold boundless business opportunities
Potatoes appear on the dining table so often that everyone is thoroughly familiar with them, but have you ever eaten a black potato? On the 11th, at the Second Kashgar Agricultural Expo, the reporter saw black potatoes grown on the Pamir Plateau. These unremarkable-looking black potatoes also hold boundless business opportunities.
In the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County exhibition area at the Kashgar Agricultural Expo, numerous black potatoes like pebbles "lay" on the display stand, and at first glance it was hard to guess what they were. Lu Liangyao, head of the dealer Weitai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., introduced to the reporter that the black potato is a type of potato, originally from Peru in South America, with a black-purple skin that is jet-black and glossy, full of luster. The flesh is deep purple, attractive in appearance, and highly tempting in color. The starch content of the flesh is as high as 13-15%, with a relatively good taste and excellent quality.
"Black potatoes, this variety is rich in anthocyanins. In addition to inhibiting carcinogenic substances, anthocyanins can also enhance human immunity and delay aging. The yield of black potatoes per mu is about 1 ton, and the price is also higher than that of ordinary potatoes. We cultivate and grow black potatoes on the Pamir Plateau at an altitude of over 3,000 m, and the unique geographical environment makes the potato quality even better," Lu Liangyao, head of Weitai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., which grows black potatoes, introduced to the reporter.
The reporter learned that Lu Liangyao brought his black potatoes produced on the Pamir Plateau to the Second Kashgar Agricultural Expo for the first time. The first appearance of black potatoes at the Kashgar Agricultural Expo attracted the attention of out-of-town buyers and successfully secured an order for a purchase volume of three tons. "Buyers from Fujian, after tasting the black potatoes from the Pamir Plateau, immediately discovered boundless business opportunities and ordered 3 tons of our potatoes on the spot, planning to take them to restaurants in Fujian for sale. In 2015 our planting area was not large, but through the platform of the Agricultural Expo we also saw the market for black potatoes. In 2016 we will increase the planting area of black potatoes, guide farmers in selecting seeds, and drive local farmers to prosperity," Lu Liangyao said.