China Potato Export and Production in 2016

In 2016, China's planting area of potato has increased steadily, the production was steady and the price remained high. It is expected that the production supply capacity of potato will be enhanced in 2017, and the price of starch would remain high in the short term.

Production
In 2016, China's potato production declined slightly. The adjustment of agricultural structure and high prices this spring lead to a significant increase in potato production. But due to continuous drought in the main production areas of Northwest and Northeast, a wide range of late blight in the Southwest and chilling in autumn and continuing throughout winter in the Southern region resulted in the average yield decline. The total potato production was 92.01 million tons, down by 3% in 2016. With the acceleration of structural adjustment of agricultural supply side, Potatoes are expected to rebound in the main producing areas of Northern China. Furthermore, fields reserved for corn and other grain crops will turn into potato crop land. In 2017, the planting area will reach 86.96 million acres and total production which will set a record high of 96.82 million tons, up by 2% and 5.2%, respectively.

Trade
Affected by the high price of domestic potatoes, Potato exports lack growth and momentum. The export volume has decreased and the export amount was essentially flat. In 2016, the total export volume was 396,000 tons, down by 4.3%, and the export amount was 238 million dollars, and up by 0.6%. In the same period, Potato starch exports reached 524.91 tons, down by 15.3%, with exports amounting to 588,600 dollars, up to $17.7%. In 2017, China's international trade in potatoes will continue to maintain a healthy pace of development. The annual export volume is expected to return to 600 thousand tons, representing a substantial increase of about 20%. In the tradition of potato-growing areas in Gansu, seed potato export advantage will appear. At the same time, the export of potato starch may be decreased, affected by the impact of low prices of cassava starch in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.