Making potato a staple promotes healthy diet

The Chinese staple consisting principally of rice, wheat and corn will soon include potatoes (tudou or malingshu in Chinese), the Ministry of Agriculture said recently. This is a welcome move to diversify Chinese people's staple to a more balanced diet, which should also include high-nutrient food such as fruits and vegetables.

Potatoes are certainly nutritious. If eaten along with their skins, they are a good source of not only carbohydrates, but also vitamin C and potassium. Also, more potato cultivation will help to reduce environmental stress such as water shortage and promote more efficient use of marginal land. But sweet potatoes too should be made part of Chinese people's staple because they are more nutritious with high amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene.

In 2012, potatoes accounted for 2 percent of the calories consumed by Chinese compared with more than 20 percent for rice and wheat, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization. The government's aim is to ensure that 50 percent of potatoes produced in the country is consumed domestically as a staple by 2020.