In Baimiaozi Village, Licha Town, Jiaozhou City (Qingdao), the potato harvest has begun on more than 200 mu (approx. 13.3 hectares) of contracted farmland. The main variety is “Atlantic,” which, despite its relatively small size, has high starch content and is ideally suited for processing into potato chips and French fries — making it highly popular in the market. This year, yields are expected to increase by nearly 10%, reaching over 4 tons per mu, with total output exceeding 1,200 tons. Thanks to advance contracts signed last year, farmers like Sun Meiyan have guaranteed prices and secure buyers, eliminating worries about market volatility and ensuring that higher yields translate directly into higher incomes.
Jiaozhou City maintains about 13,000 mu (approx. 8,700 hectares) of potato farmland annually, producing roughly 400,000 tons per year. The region has over 30 large-scale production bases, more than 50 seed potato suppliers, and over 50,000 households involved in the industry. Through the “company + cooperative + farmer” model, authorities promote unified planting, fertilization, and procurement, effectively stabilizing farmer incomes. Beyond contract farming, Jiaozhou has developed a complete industrial cluster integrating seed R&D, storage, logistics, processing, and trade. The city also hosts over 30 prepared-food enterprises in Licha Town, forming a “direct sourcing + processing + warehousing/logistics + retail” system. Meanwhile, local machinery manufacturer Qingdao Hongzhu produces specialized potato equipment for international markets. Together, these efforts transform the humble potato into a driver of rural prosperity and industrial modernization.
