On April 13, workers from Shanba Village in Dongyuan County harvested over 625 tons of original seed potatoes from seven varieties, including “Yuejing No. 1”, “Yuehong No. 2”, and “Atlantic”. The seeds were grown on an experimental field owned by Guangdong Huifeng Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. This breakthrough is particularly significant because Guangdong province has traditionally planted about 53,000 hectares of winter potatoes on abandoned rice paddies, with tubers reaching the market from January to April when prices are highest. However, until now, all seed potatoes had to be purchased from northern China and transported over long distances — a costly, damage-prone model that disrupted dormancy cycles and introduced pests.
Li Xiaobo, head of potato research at the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, notes that the region has the potential to grow winter potatoes on 13.3 million hectares, which would greatly enhance food security and farmers’ incomes. Since 2023, Guangdong Huifeng has collaborated with the provincial academy and the national potato industry system to build a complete technological chain: shoot-tip detoxification, rapid propagation, virus-free seedling cultivation, mini-tuber production, and field expansion. The company now operates a 4,000 m² tissue culture center with 10,000 m² of shelving, capable of producing 10 million virus-free potato seedlings annually, plus 5,000 m² of greenhouses for mini-tubers. Original seeds sell for about 4,000 yuan per ton, generating roughly 2.5 million yuan in direct sales, with supplies going to Zhanjiang, Huidong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan.
