土豆困境

Direct Ties between Supermarkets and Growers Help Sale of Potatoes

随着天气渐渐变冷，我国北方马铃薯主产区——内蒙古自治区的许多薯农心急如焚。今年，内蒙古马铃薯不仅价格低迷，而且滞销卖难。

As cold weather approaches, the potato growers in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are getting anxious. The potatoes in Inner Mongolia, a main potato growing region, have experienced sharp price reduction and overstock this year. According to statistics, the total output of potatoes is estimated to exceed 11 million tons in Inner Mongolia, an increase of more than 2.6 million tons compared with that in 2010. In contrast, the sale of potatoes is sluggish. In an attempt to ease the marketing problem and protect the interest of the potato growers, the government and the local authorities have stepped up measures related to the selling, processing and storage of potatoes. The Ministry of Commerce has initiated campaigns to encourage the establishment of direct ties between the farmers and the supermarkets or the wholesale markets, which proves quite effective. The purchase orders are signed between the potato growers and large supermarkets, purchasers, and distributors, and potatoes find their way out of Inner Mongolia into many provinces and cities. The primary statistics show that more than 2.06 million tons of potatoes are sold in Inner Mongolia, and 1.834 million tons have been kept in reserve, totaling 86% of the total output.