Emma Potato: How a 3,830-Metre Plateau Crop Became a National Brand Thanks to 24 Years of Shandong’s Tibet Aid Program

On the alluvial plains of the middle Brahmaputra River in Emma Township, Nangmu County, at an altitude of 3,830 metres, the Emma potato—also known as the “Snow Plateau” potato—has been transformed from a locally consumed staple into a nationally recognised geographical-indication product. Characterised by its large size, thin skin, high starch content, and sandy, aromatic texture, this premium potato now underpins a thriving local industry. The turnaround stems from 24 consecutive years of dedicated support by the Weifang Tibet Aid Task Force from Shandong Province. The team invested over 20 million yuan to establish a seed potato breeding base within the Xianghe Modern Agricultural Demonstration Park, integrating virus-free seedling propagation, tissue culture, and greenhouse cultivation. Today, the base produces 2.4 million original seeds and over 1,000 tonnes of breeder seeds annually. The task force also partnered with Everest Agricultural Investment Company to implement order-based sales averaging over 4 million yuan per year, invested 700,000 yuan in a county-level livestreaming e-commerce base, and sold 40 tonnes of potatoes in just four days during a September 2025 livestream event that reached more than 20 million views. Leveraging national platforms like the Shouguang Vegetable Expo, the Emma potato brand has expanded its reach from Tibet to the entire country.

The impact on local farming families has been profound. Bianba Tsering’s household, with 24 acres of potato fields in Deqing Village, now earns approximately 120,000 yuan annually from potatoes alone, with cash income of 60,000 yuan supplemented by in-kind earnings. Their produce is regularly supplied to a restaurant in Shigatse, alongside orders from long-standing clients in Renbu and beyond. According to Mima Dungzhu, a technical specialist at the Nangmu County Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Comprehensive Service Centre, the unique growing conditions—intense sunlight, wide diurnal temperature variations, and high soil sand content—imbue Emma potatoes with superior quality that consumers prize highly. With 50,000 mu (approximately 3,333 hectares) now planted across the county and annual output reaching about 130,000 tonnes, the Emma potato exemplifies how sustained aid efforts focused on “blood transfusion” and “haematopoiesis”—bringing capital, technology, and markets while leaving behind durable industrial systems and local talent—can turn a traditional crop into a prosperous, sustainable livelihood pillar for highland communities.