Source: Sin-Hwa Agricultural Association Sweet potato Sub Division

1. Overview of Sweet Potato Industry in Chinese Taipei

In early 17 century, Chinese Taipei started to cultivate sweet potato, and sweet potato cultivation area was about 40,000 ha. In 1900, then it was expanded to 130,002 ha in 1940. In the early poor rural community, sweet potato was an important source of food. In 1950-1970, sweet potato was a major source of pigs feed, because of the high yield, and cultivation area was about 230,000 ha. Annual production was about 2200 - 3400 thousand tons, and it’s the peak of sweet potato production and utilization in Chinese Taipei. After 1970, due to the increasing income of people year by year, cheap importing grain had changed the formulation of pig feed, and the function of sweet potato was replace by corn as pig feed. As a result, the cultivation area and production of sweet potato was decreasing year by year. Since 1990 it still remained at about 10,000 ha. constantly, and annual production fell to 200 thousand tons per year. Although potato cultivation area decreased, the improvement of production in cultivation techniques, breeding of new varieties, fertilizer management and pests and diseases management technology has advanced by the efforts of researchers and local farmers, and the production of sweet potato gradually increases, from 5 ton / ha. , 1990 to 22 ton / ha. , 2011.

• The production of sweet potato from 2002 to 2011
  
  Source: Agriculture and Food Agency, Council of Agriculture Food and Agriculture Statistics
• Sweet potato cultivation is mainly on western, central and southern plains as main plant in Chinese Taipei, the Yunlin County, Changhua County, Taichung city, Tainan city, Chiayi County as the main production area (nearly 80%).
  

 
2. Introduction of Sweet potato production-marketing group of Xin-hua District

• It was established in 1991, mainly to promote the production of sweet potato from farm to fork.
  
• Team workers: 500 people
  
• Area Planted: 650 ha. in 2013
• Planting Weight: About 20,000 tons in 2013
  
• Brands and Products
   
  

3. Losses by conventional processes

• Traditional Harvested Operation mode
  

4. Improvement of sweet potato supply chain

• Production planning
  
• Production and marketing process with standardized models
• Cultivation project of Healthy seedlings
  
  
• Planting history of management and the quality of sweet potato
  
• Harvesting operations
  
• Grading operations
  
• Development of diverse products
  
• Diversification pathways
  

 
5. The challenges of sweet potato supply chain in the future

• Good cultivation management system → Increase per unit area yield of sweet potato → Enhance the quality of harvest, sorting and storage technology → Processing technology and business development and marketing → Long-term storage in the supply chain reduce grain losses
• Future operating
  • Healthy seedlings to produce the best yield.
  • Cultivation and management to improve the yield of the required specifications to maximize.
  • Management platform for construct and collaborative field inspections.
  • Sweet Potato Greenhouse Gas Inventory：
    Reduce carbon emissions = Increase Production + Reduce Waste
  • Constructing a shorter and more direct supply chain.
  • Diversification of product development, improving potato material usage.
  • More in line with the consumer edible specifications of packaging. (ex: family package, personal package)