This Single Country Produces More Than 50% Of The World's Sweet Potatoes
There are a lot of misconceptions about sweet potatoes. First off, sweet potatoes and yams are different. Yams are often mislabeled as sweet potatoes in the United States, but true yams are native to Africa and Asia and have a rough, bark-like exterior. Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas and have smooth skin. But interestingly enough, although sweet potatoes originally come from the Americas, most of today's global supply is produced in China.
Tridge reports that as of 2023, China accounted for about 55% of worldwide production, churning out more than 112 billion pounds. This isn't surprising, seeing how China is the world's largest agricultural producer across the board. Much of the sweet potato crop, however, is used domestically, either as a food or for industrial uses like alcohol and animal feed.
Not only does most of the world's sweet potato supply come from China, but an astonishing share of that comes from a single region. According to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Liancheng County produces about 80% of China's sweet potatoes. Dubbed the "capital of sweet potatoes," the county's economy is built around the crop, from small family-run baking workshops to large e-commerce operations.
Where does the United States get its sweet potatoes?
Since China dominates global sweet potato production, you might assume most of the spuds in U.S. grocery stores come from overseas. But in reality, most U.S. sweet potatoes are home-grown. According to the World Integrated Trade Institution, the U.S. imported more than 99 million pounds of sweet potatoes in 2023, with 71 million coming from China. But as Statista reports, American farms produced over a billion tons that same year, far outweighing its imports.
When it comes to homegrown supply, North Carolina dominates, producing over 60% of the nation's sweet potatoes, per National Beef Wire. California and Mississippi are the second and third-largest producers, respectively. If you're from these states, chances are, you're local markets are getting some of the freshest potatoes in the country.
No matter where you're located, it's worth exploring the variety of sweet potatoes available in the U.S. From the orange-fleshed Jewel to the purple-skinned Japanese, each variety brings something different to the table. Japanese Murasaki sweet potatoes have a crunchy texture perfect for fries, while Red Garnet or Beauregard work well for deliciously mashed dishes and pies. Whichever variety you go for, when picking the best sweet potato bag at the grocery store, be sure to choose smaller specimens with even coloring.