Potato innovation continues to be necessary to feed a growing world population.

‘Market prices are gradually rising and will continue to do so but, at the same time, the volatility of this process will increase’, Professor Ruud Huirne, Agri & Food Director of Rabobank Nederland, predicts for the coming years. ‘However, innovation continues to be necessary to keep ahead of the competition.’ He recently expressed this view of the future of the potato sector at the fifth anniversary meeting of the Wageningen Potato Centre (WPC) in Utrecht. Professor Martin van Ittersum of Wageningen University, together with the WPC partners, also looked ahead towards the year 2050. He came to the conclusion that ‘the potato is a real contender in the future demand for more food in the world’.