Spud specialists from around the world gathered in Ningxia Wednesday for the China Potato Congress, where they advised local farmers on the development of the region's potato industry.

Yang Bingnan, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Sciences, said Ningxia is well suited to plant potatoes.

"Potato farming in Ningxia has a long history," Yang said. "The industry has improved significantly in both produce quantity and quality. We can expect a bright future."

But current success does not mean there is no room for improvement, Yang said.

"Ningxia's potato industry leans heavily on its traditional starch processing. That means a low added value," he said. "Much more work needs to be done on the industry's market development. My advice would be a twofold approach: market development and high added-value processing."

Jin Liping, China's top authority on potato farming technology, emphasized the importance of science to continued growth in the sector.

"Science and technology are the key to developing Ningxia's potato industry," Jin said.

Ningxia has a potato farming area of 4 million mu, about a quarter of total crop area in the region.