http://www.smh.com.au/environment/rice-is-nice-but-spuds-are-new-top-banana-20110823-1j8ek.html
Rice is nice but spuds are new top banana Peter Foster, London August 24, 2011 BEIJING: After centuries of relying on rice and noodles to feed its hungry masses, China is turning increasingly to a familiar British staple to meet the needs of its 1.3 billion citizens: the humble potato. Facing more frequent droughts, falling water tables and widespread soil erosion, the government has designated the potato as a ''strategic'' crop in the latest five-year plan and is investing millions of dollars in researching new varieties. This northern spring Beijing hosted its second international potato expo, hoping to cash in on China's new-found love for the spud. The potato is proving attractive both to Chinese consumers and to government officials charged with achieving China's target of being 95 per cent self-sufficient in food. With 20 per cent of the world's population, and just 7 per cent of its arable land, China is also hoping that the potato - which produces three or four times more calories per acre than rice or corn - can alleviate poverty by boosting farmers' outputs and incomes. Although China is already the world's largest grower of potatoes, its crops fall well short of demand as the new middle classes gorge themselves on rising quantities of french fries and crisps. China does not allow imports of potatoes for consumption, but an agreement signed six years ago did allow British growers to export cherry tomato-size ''mini'' tubers to China for growing on into seed. However, British growers have so far been deterred by the risk of having their most valuable varieties - which can increase yields by 30 per cent overnight - copied and cloned. ''The protocol was signed six years ago but not a single producer has taken advantage of it because of the inability to protect their varieties,'' Allan Stevenson, of the British industry's Potato Council, said. Negotiations are now under way to allow the export of full-grown seed potatoes to China, enabling seed growers to make profits and offset the risk of intellectual property theft. Graeme Prentice, the business development manager for Irish Potato Marketing, said, ''In the next five years, [this market] is really going to take off.'' Telegraph, London Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/rice-is-nice-but-spuds-are-new-top-banana-20110823-1j8ek.html#ixzz1VwIZwsv0 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
