International Potato Center Opens in China

Beijing, China opened its doors to the International Potato Center (CIP) and established the CIP-China Center for Asia and the Pacific (CCCAP), the first officially recognized international scientific research organization in China. The Center will host international scientists and scholars with research focus in potato and sweet potato, and find ways on how to fully contribute to food security and income generation in China and the greater Asia-Pacific region. The establishment of the Center is built on three decades of collaboration between China and CIP on potato and sweet potato research. It resulted to the development of high yielding potato varieties which are adapted to the local needs and conditions. A specific output  on the sweet potato collaboration was the development of a virus clean up technology and training modules that boosted Chinese sweet potato production by more than 30% on 1 million hectares.

China is the world's leading producer of both potato and sweet potato with yields equaling 75 million and 104 million tons per year, respectively. Both crops are staples for the population as well as used for feeds, processed foods, and other manufacturing purposes. The CCAP will serve as a platform for research and development across Asia and the Pacific, building on the existing CIP research and projects in Nepal, New Guinea, Mongolia, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Solomon Islands, Indonesia, and North Korea.

See the press release at http://www.cipotato.org/pressroom/press_releases_detail.asp?cod=77