In an interview with reporters on October 16, Luo Xiaohu, the chairman of Yulin Mingjie Agricultural Investment Potato Industry Co., Ltd., expressed pride in the quality of Yulin’s potatoes. “Our fries, made from Yulin potatoes, have a uniquely crisp texture. They are not only supplied to international fast-food chains but are also exported to Southeast Asia and markets in Europe and America, where they are extremely popular,” he stated while observing the production line in their modern facility.
On that day, reporters visited a potato deep-processing project in Yulin, Shaanxi Province, which handles 200,000 tons of potatoes annually. Located in the Yuyang District’s modern agricultural industrial park, this project is invested in by Yulin Mingjie Agricultural Investment Potato Industry Co., Ltd. Spanning 221 acres, the facility includes state-of-the-art automated potato processing equipment, as well as cold storage for finished products, processing workshops, and storage facilities. Once operational, the project is expected to process 200,000 tons of potatoes each year, producing 108,000 tons of French fries and 18,000 tons of other products such as potato cakes and flour.
According to officials from Shaanxi, this project represents the largest full industrial chain for potato products in northwest China, covering production, research and development, and sales.
“We use an entirely imported, high-efficiency processing line from the Netherlands, equipped with a cutting-edge, fully automated central control system,” said Lu Yu, the company’s vice president of operations. “This production line can create the highest-grade French fries on the market, improving raw material utilization by 20% and reducing energy consumption by 10%.”
Lu highlighted the advantages of the local environment for potato cultivation: “The sandy, well-drained soil in Yulin, combined with significant temperature variations between day and night and ample sunlight, offers an ideal growing environment that enhances the growth and expansion of potatoes. We only use locally grown varieties, which are large, uniform, with shallow eyes, high starch content, and a delicate, powdery texture. They are rich in antioxidants and selenium, making them highly favored by consumers.”
Not far from the factory, local farmers were busy harvesting potatoes from their fields, creating small “hills” of freshly dug potatoes.
Shaanxi officials noted that this project leverages the region’s modernized potato farming industry to provide a stable sales channel for nearly 100,000 acres of local potato cultivation. Additionally, it promotes the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, creating around 200 jobs and helping local residents increase their income.
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