In the last two years, the price of potatoes has fallen sharply and the prices of planted area have dropped to a foregone conclusion.

Ms. Chen, who lives in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, could not have imagined that eating potatoes for decades has become a “crazy road food” for the past two years. The price will be in the sky for a while, and underground for a while. The reporter recently conducted an investigation of the intentions of farmers planting potatoes in the main producing areas. Will potato prices return to rationality in 2012?

Prices fluctuate, "Potatoes are crazy"

Inner Mongolia is China's largest potato base and its output accounts for about one-seventh of the country’s total production. However, no one thought that in 2010, the price of potatoes in Inner Mongolia rose to 2 yuan per kilogram, which was dubbed by the media as “golden eggs” in the land; in 2011, the price of potatoes plunged by 2/3, and “golden eggs” changed overnight. Has become a "soil dumplings." Crazy Potatoes got its name.

The “high price” potatoes in 2010 led to the “thorny and hurt people”. Zhang Jun, a Beijing citizen, was born in Helinger County, Inner Mongolia, a potato village. Eating potatoes is his family's favorite, and almost he can't live without potatoes. However, the "high price" potatoes of the previous year had forced his family to adjust their recipes and changed to three meals a day for a meal. Zhang Jun said: "Potato prices rose to two or three bucks a pound, really can not afford to eat."

The plunge in potato prices in 2011 has also triggered "dwarf farmers." Wei Xiulian of the Weichang Manchu Mongolian Autonomous County in Hebei Province last year contracted 1,000 mu of farmland with 6 relatives in a farm in the Zhengling Lanqi 5 in the Xilinguole League. The result was totally lost. Wei Xiulian said: "Last year one acre land lost 1,000 yuan, 1000 mu land lost 1 million yuan."

Wei Xiulian is not the only victim of "crazy potatoes." Reporters learned that in the major potato producing regions such as Hohhot, Wulanchabu and Xilin Gol League in Inner Mongolia, most of the farmers with small plantings and less investment have “zero income” or slight losses last year, and most of the flowers Planting large households investing in large amounts of money generally cost hundreds of thousands of yuan to millions of dollars.

Large family in the small market exits, "Potato planting fever" cooling

At this time of 2011, Zhang Yiyi also looked forward to the realization of his wealthy dreams in the potato fields with two newly bought farm machinery; now he is looking for buyers for them everywhere in the villages surrounding Ulan Qab. He sighed and said: "Last year there was a lot of losses and I just gave up."

Zhang Yiyi, a businessman from Jining District of Ulan Qab City, last year turned his gaze to a strange potato industry. He invested hundreds of thousands of yuan in Dongfangzi Village, Shangdu County, not far from his hometown, and rented more than 300 acres. potato. He calculated that even if the price fell by half from the previous year, it would be profitable. What he did not expect was that the price of potatoes plunged from around 2 yuan per kilogram in 2010 to 0.6 yuan per kilogram in 2011, allowing him to lose more than 400,000 yuan a year. "Last year's debt has not yet been paid off. This year we can only sell the agricultural machinery without planting it."

Similar to the situation of Zhangyiyi, many big farmers who grow potatoes in Baotian also began to withdraw from the market or reduce production to varying degrees. Most of the farmers who have a small area of ​​planting and less investment also have a fear, and their willingness to plant has declined significantly. Kang Rui, a farmer in Zhongyingzi Village, Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia, planted 100 mu of potatoes last year and plans to reduce it to 60 acres this year. In addition, there are more than 120 potato growers in the production and marketing cooperatives of Fukang Agricultural Products (12.30, -0.34, -2.69%) in Wuchuan County where he lived. Last year, a total of 6,000 mu of potatoes were planted, and this year it is planned to be reduced to about 4,000 mu.

Market supply and demand balance, potatoes return to "way vegetable prices"

During the interview, both farmers, government officials and industry experts said that the reduction in potato planting area in 2012 is a foregone conclusion, with a decline of 20% to 40% and a corresponding reduction in production.

According to the data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of Inner Mongolia, in 2011, the planting area of ​​potato in Inner Mongolia was 10.69 million mu and the output was 10 million tons. If we reduce the planting area by 20% this year, the output will also be reduced to about 8 million tons, which is exactly the level of 2008 and 2010.

Tang Zhaohua, secretary-general of the Inner Mongolia Potato Association, said: “Last year, Inner Mongolia increased production by about 20%, causing prices to plummet. If we reduce production by 20% this year, we just lose the unreasonable part and the price should return to rationality. I think the purchase price should be back. To about 5 cents per catty, this is about the same as the normal year's price, and it will be about 1 buck to the consumers."

Most potato growers are also optimistic about the 2012 prices. They believe that the supply and demand of potatoes will tend to be balanced in 2012, and the prices will return to the “highway vegetable prices” level.