To treat the attendees at the 2018 China Potato Congress, locals cooked a banquet that involves 50 dishes made from potatoes.

The 2018 China Potato Congress opened in northeast Yunnan’s Zhaotong city on July 8. The 3-day conference focuses on the development of potato industry and its role in poverty alleviation.

Over 2,600 scholars and entrepreneurs from China and the world gathered in Zhaotong for seminars and promotional events related to potatoes.

Zhaotong is a top five potato producer in China, with a planting area of 200,000 hectares, or 37 percent of the city’s arable land.

With a planting history of over 200 years, Zhaotong also makes a world-class supplier of seed potatoes.

Potatoes have long been a staple food for folks in China’s poverty-stricken areas.