The 2014 China Potato Expo ？ the 6th Tengzhou Potato Festival opened at Tengzhou Olympic Sport Center of Tengzhou City,Shandong Province on April 18th, 2014.
The Expo is jointly hosted by MOA Agricultural Trade Promotion Center, MOA Information Center, Department of Agriculture of Shandong Province and Zaozhuang Municipal Government. Over 500 delegates including MOA Chief Economist Qian Keming, government officials, domestic and overseas exhibitors and buyers attended the Opening Ceremony and conducted field visits.
In his speech at the Opening Ceremony, Qian stressed that potatoes are not only important food crops,but also major industrial raw materials. China is the world's biggest producer and consumer of potatoes. Potatoes play a big role in ensuring food security, increasing farmers' income and promoting rural employment in China.
Qian also noted that since 2010, the China Potato Expo has built its brand as a top nationwide exhibition specialized in the potato sector in China, and has been gaining its name abroad.
The Expo and the Festival were held concurrently,which promoted mutual benefits through resource-sharing and will further boost the potato industry development in Tengzhou as well as the whole country.
The total exhibition area covered more than 5000 square meters, hosting 120 more exhibitors from 8 foreign countries (the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, US, UK, Singapore, Poland and Australia)and 15 provinces/autonomous regions of China. The Expo showcased the latest products, technologies and machinery along the supply chain including breeding, seed multiplication, inputs, planting, harvesting, processing and storage.
Held in Tengzhou, a very important potato producing region in China, the Expo has arranged field visits to potato demonstration farms for participants.
During the Expo, a series of side events were held, including Potato Industrial Development Forum ？ Tengzhou Potato Order-placing Meeting, Sino-Dutch Potatoes Chain Technology and Equipment Seminar, High Yield Potato Cultivation Technology Workshop, Potato Production Machinery Operation Technology Workshop and Potato Storage Technology Workshop. Prior to the Expo, a potato photography competition and a potato cooking competition were held to promote potato culture and cuisine.
The Expo together with its side events attracted over 1000 visitors on the day of its opening alone.