Yamadai Sweet Potato (Miyazaki): season, origin and where to buy

Seasonal calendar

Harvested from June to November and, with stored potatoes, shipped throughout the year.

Timing shifts with the weather and conditions in each region.

Official registration details (MAFF)

The registered description as published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Characteristics

Yamadai Kansho is a sweet potato with bright red skin. It becomes soft and fresh-baked texture with elegant sweetness when it is cooked. It has a beautiful appearance as producers remove fibrous roots carefully.

Link with the production area

The production area is located in the southernmost part of Miyazaki Prefecture, and has long hours of sunlight and warm temperature. The area also has well drained volcanic ash soil. These natural conditions are suitable for producing sweet potato. Producers have established a unique storage technique for winter in order to ship Yamadai Kansho throughout a year, and have worked to perform the strict sorting management since 1966. Due to these efforts, the area has become a leading sweet potato production site. Producers have also begun exporting Yamadai Kansho in recent years.

Characteristics and link with the area: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website (https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/intel/gi_act/register/s64.html)

Where to buy

As a rule, only products that meet the registered standard may use a GI name (with exceptions such as prior use). Check for the GI mark and the place of origin to tell it apart from ordinary products with similar names.

We have not found a reliable online or furusato nozei listing yet. Ask local farm stands or the producer group.

FAQ

Sweet potatoes from Kushima City at the southern tip of Miyazaki Prefecture. They have bright red skin and a neat look thanks to careful removal of fine roots, and turn fluffy with an elegant sweetness when cooked. A local winter storage method allows shipping throughout the year.

Yamadai Sweet Potato is produced in Kushima City, Miyazaki Prefecture.

Yamadai Sweet Potato is shipped all year round. Harvested from June to November and, with stored potatoes, shipped throughout the year.

We have not confirmed a reliable online or furusato nozei listing. Local farm stands or the producer group are your best bet.

Yamadai Sweet Potato was registered as a Geographical Indication on August 6, 2018 (Registration No. 64). The registered producer group is Kushima City Otsuka Agricultural Cooperative.