Zhaiji township's sweet potatoes boost prosperity

Farmers are busy harvesting sweet potatoes in Pantong village, Zhaiji township, Kaiyang county.

After rinsing off the dirt, they load them onto trucks and transport them to a sweet potato deep-processing company located a few kilometers away in Yantang village – Guizhou Menghua Shuyi Agricultural Development Co, where they are processed into sweet potato starch.

Local farmers harvest sweet potatoes.[Photo/WeChat account of Kaiyang county]

The loose, slightly alkaline and selenium-rich soil of Zhaiji township is ideal for growing sweet potatoes, resulting in high-quality products with excellent taste. However, traditional planting methods and fragmented operations have hindered the industry's ability to achieve scale efficiency. To cultivate a specialized industry, the township introduced Guizhou Menghua Shuyi Agricultural Development Co to establish an integrated "planting + processing + sales" industry chain.

A staff member cleans sweet potatoes.[Photo/WeChat account of Kaiyang county]

Fresh sweet potatoes are washed, crushed, filtered, and dried before becoming sweet potato starch, which is sold to places like Sichuan and Chongqing.

Sweet potatoes are processed into sweet potato starch.[Photo/WeChat account of Kaiyang county]

The company produces 30 metric tons of starch and 2 tons of sweet potato flour daily. By processing sweet potatoes into starch, their value increases several times.

In 2025, the company's annual output value is expected to be around 8 million yuan ($1.12 million). It plans to develop a series of products like sweet potato noodles to further expand the industry chain.

The sweet potato processing industry chain has also created multiple income-generating opportunities for local residents. Currently, the township plants 5,000 mu (333.33 hectares) of sweet potatoes, and villagers are increasing their incomes through land transfers and labor.

The sweet potato industry has formed a complete chain, creating a win-win situation for enterprises, village collectives, and farmers. In the future, Zhaiji township aims to enhance the market competitiveness and reputation of Zhaiji sweet potatoes and the products made using them.