The potato acreage in China has suddenly decreased by 600.000 hectares in recent years. Even for the hefty area on which China grows potatoes, a decrease of 12,5% is significant. What's going on in the People's Republic?
There are large areas of potato cultivation in the northeastern part of China. The most recent figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that the area under consumption potatoes amounted to 2016 million hectares in 5,8, compared to 2014 million hectares in 5,5. So a significant increase.
However, this has turned out to be a temporary high, because recent figures from the Chinese government show that the acreage fell enormously between 2017 and 2018. In 2017, the area amounted to 5,4 million hectares, while in 2018 it was 'only' 4,8 million hectares.
Still the largest producer
"This trend is striking, although I expect these figures to be correct. This is because the Chinese are reasonable numbers freaks," explains Henk Stigter of the Veterinary & Phytosanitary Council in China. Although a drop of 12,5% is significant, production in China still amounts to approximately 90 million tons. This means that China is and will remain the largest potato producer in the world.
The decrease in the Chinese potato area may be due, among other things, to an increased soy area. Partly due to the trade war with the United States, policy in China is increasingly focused on its own soy production. In this way, China hopes to be less dependent on the United States. Although China is very large, the availability of cultivated land is disappointing.
Lots of imports
The fact that Chinese consumption potato cultivation is large does not mean that the country is self-sufficient. On the contrary, China is active on the market and imports many consumption potatoes. Imports have decreased somewhat in recent years, but 'premium class' potatoes in particular remain in demand. This is because the Chinese succeed to a lesser extent in producing high quality and they have a lot of confidence in the quality of imported potatoes.
"Consumption in China is enormous. At first there was only rice on the menu, but today potatoes are the fourth largest food crop. At the end of the 80s, the 'ordinary Chinese' could not afford to eat fries with a hamburger. food. The group that can afford this has continued to increase in recent years. You also see that the French fries market has grown enormously. Fast food chains are a booming business," says Stigter. "Don't forget that water scarcity is becoming an increasing problem in China, and the potato offers a good alternative to rice."
Large market for seed potatoes
The large consumption potato cultivation in the country also means that the market for seed potatoes from the Netherlands is good. Henk Stigter also argues this in the potato magazine Boerenbusiness. "China does have a production of mini tubers, but this is certainly not sufficient for the total area. Although it has been possible to sell seed potatoes to China since 2000, this has not yet led to serious export volumes. This is mainly because seed potato companies are afraid that varieties are copied and royalties are not paid," says Stigter.
"However, China is now taking steps in the right direction to better implement the legislation and get enforcement in order. Yet Dutch companies are still not lining up to export to the country. This could turn into a missed opportunity "As many other countries are also aiming for a good position in China, Scotland is now also allowed to export seed potatoes to the country," says Stigter. "It can help to arrange royalties at large processing companies (such as Snow Valley and Pepsico). After all, this is used much more often in the world."