CIP directors and researchers will be among the more than 800 potato scientists and representatives of governments, agriculture and food industries from approximately 30 countries that are expected to attend the 9th World Potato Congress, to be held in Yanquing Beijing, China July 28-30.
The triennial World Potato Congress (WPC) brings together researchers and industry representatives from developing and developed countries in an effort to build a ‘global potato family’ and promote the growth and development of potato production. This year’s Congress will be held in conjunction with the China Potato Congress, China Potato Expo and an International Workshop on Potato-Derived Staple Food Products and Industry Development. All these events will be held at the Badaling International Convention Center, in Yanqing County, Beijing.
CIP representatives will play an active role in the Congress. Director General Barbara Wells will give a keynote speech on the role of potato in global food security, and will deliver the opening address for the International Workshop on Potato-Derived Staple Food Products and Industry Development. CIP Board Chairman Rodney Cook will chair a keynote session, and CIP’s Deputy Director General Oscar Ortiz will give a speech on potato diversity and utilization in Peru.
Lu Xiaoping, Director of the CIP-China Center for Asia Pacific (CCCAP), will also participate in the event, together with other CCCAP scientists. CCCAP is a cooperative endeavor between CIP and China, a collaboration that should grow in the coming years thanks to a new CCCAP research campus currently under construction in Yanqing County. Once completed, CCCAP will be a world-class root and tuber research center dedicated to improving the production and value of potato, sweetpotato and other root crops in China, East Asia and the Pacific.
Yanqing County, where the WPC will take place, is becoming a hub of agricultural research, development and technological innovation, thanks to the presence of CCCAP, China’s National Engineering Research Center for Potato, and a National Potato Industry High-Tech Park. Yanqing also holds part of China’s Great Wall, and the WPC will close with an award ceremony and dinner held at the Badaling section of the Great Wall, where delegates will enjoy traditional Chinese cuisine with a view of that iconic monument.
“Yanqing is home to spectacular natural scenery, abundant tourist resources, a solid industry foundation and good infrastructure that make it a perfect host for the World Potato Congress,” said David Thompson, President of WPC Inc, which organizes the event.
The full event schedule can be found at www.potatocongress.org