Potato Inspiration In Belarus

Our company’s volume dropped drastically in the first half of 2009 due to the financial crisis sweeping across the planet， so we had to look for expansion in the Chinese market while hunting for new opportunities overseas. I jumped at an invitation from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade to visit three eastern European countries： Belarus， Russia， and Ukraine. Foreign markets have long been our target， yet I hadn’t received a single order from any of these countries since the financial crisis.

Our first stop was Belarus. On June 13， 2009， along with a group of 62， I arrived at the Minsk Capital Airport. The air was fresh， the sky blue， and the land pristine and green. I was deeply impressed by the seclusion afforded by lush trees as well as the aroma of flowers along the 40-kilometer bus drive through the downtown area.

On the way to our hotel， a guide briefed us on the country. Belarus has a population of less than 10 million. Famous for potatoes， its per capita potato production averages 1.5 tons annually. The heavy output has enabled the success of processing industries for over 230 kinds of potato products.

I was greatly inspired： Even simple potatoes could become so many products– what innovative people the Belarusians are！ On my dinner table， I’ve seen potatoes cooked in various ways in different shapes， but I never expected them to be processed in so many ways. How could this revelation help diversify my business？

It’s dangerous to give up your strength due to a little trouble. The only way to survive is to blaze a new trail using the advantages you have – develop something unique of your own to meet the demands of your own clients.

I was reminded of my own product， the hand hydraulic carrier， for instance. It is the simplest vehicle for logistical transport， a labor intensive product， and an indispensible manual tool. I won’t ignore it because I produced something more sophisticated， like an electric riding fork-lift. I should focus on creating new products based on the hand hydraulic carrier.

Belarus continues to produce potatobased products despite the fact that people already have staple food， such as bread and rice， on their table. It works the same with my products.

This is why I maintain hope in what we’re producing and confidence in our future innovation.