Edition: 03-2025

A sharp eye on the future

Those who want to move forward must have a sharp eye on the future. This applies to everyone working in the potato sector. The Scottish seed potato growers also see that, which is why they’re investing in modern grading technology to be able to select for quality more quickly.

Looking ahead with Agrico: ‘Focusing on market share and returns for the grower’

With a record seed potato turnover of a total of 535,000 tons, Agrico has reached another milestone with the 2024 harvest. In addition, the Emmeloord cooperative association presented its new policy plan up to 2030. Their key focus is on returns for the grower and the market share in core countries and core markets, with…

Resilient varieties for an unpredictable future

Anyone who has been involved in the potato sector for a while, knows how much the playing field has changed. The pressure of pests and diseases is increasing, the range of counter measures shrinking and social and political demands for sustainability are becoming more stringent. At the same time, growers are under pressure to continue…

British Potato Industry Event 2025 to address sector’s key challenges

The British Potato Industry Event will return to Harrogate this autumn, bringing together all parts of the UK potato supply chain. The biennial gathering, better known as BP2025, takes place on 19 and 20 November at the Yorkshire Event Centre.

Disease detection robot attracts interest from seed potato growers

Last winter, Croptimal surprised the seed potato industry with the announcement that it plans to enter the market with a ready-to-use disease detection robot within two years. The company launched an eight-row version of its Croptiscan, to the public at Potato Europe where they also won the Innovation Award. This summer, the company invited Dutch…

EU’s Ambitious Agenda: What the Potato Sector Should Expect

The European Commission began its new mandate in November last year, and since then a series of initiatives have been launched that will directly affect potato production in the EU. The Vision for Agriculture and Food, unveiled in February 2025, is the main guiding documents which sets the agenda for the next five years.

Organic Potato Growers innovates and specialises in the Scottish Highlands

In the heart of the rugged, breathtaking Scottish Highlands, just a two-minute walk from Inverness Airport, you can find Organic Potato Growers (OPG). This progressive company, specialised in high-quality seed potatoes, takes full advantage of the unique climatic conditions of the Moray coastal region. Thanks to the influence of the warm Gulf Stream and the…

Beekenkamp has taken mini tuber cultivation in hand thoroughly and naturally

Growing potatoes under glass is not just a matter of course. If you want to deliver your harvest of greenhouse plants, in this case mini tubers, in a way that they’ll continue to grow healthily outdoors, it requires a thorough approach, both literally and figuratively, as product specialist Angela Olsthoorn at Plantenkwekerij Beekenkamp Plants BV…

Keygene introduces revolutionary technology of skin grafting

Wageningen-based technology-driven company KeyGene has developed a ground-breaking technique called 2S1, which allows the skin of a potato variety to be transplanted to another variety. A result of this innovation, the Jeroen KG, has since received plant breeders’ rights from the Board for Plant varieties. This technique seems to offer entirely new possibilities for potato…

Novel weapons to combat an old enemy

Late blight keeps farmers, breeders, and scientists on their toes. Despite 180 years of research since Montagne identified the culprit in 1845, the battle between the oomycete Phytophthora infestans and science continues. But the tool kit of science is getting full of novel instruments. Recently, scientists from McGill University and the International Potato Center wrote…