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El Manual de la Papa
At Kouters Potato Trade in Dinteloord, a fully loaded container is ready to leave for shipment to the Caribbean. The pallets are tightly packed, but one door remains open. In front of it is a striking unit: the Halofog. With excited anticipation, exporter Mark Kouters, machine constructor Rob Veugen, and Henning Bergmann of DormFresh stand outside to observe the outcome of a treatment that could breathe new life into ware potato exports.
Inside, operations continue at full speed. Pallet after pallet rolls off the palletiser. The consignment leaving today will be in transit for weeks and it is during that period where the main challenge lies: keeping the potatoes sprout-free. “Since the withdrawal of the sprout inhibitor CIPC, everything has become much more complicated,” says Kouters. “The risk of quality issues has increased significantly, and customers simply won’t accept sprouting upon arrival.” Where in the past, treatment with the solid compound CIPC in on-farm storage used to be sufficient to ship confidently to Africa or the Caribbean, today’s alternatives no longer offer that same certainty. As a result, export has increasingly become a delicate balancing act: margins are tight, buyer requirements are high, and transport conditions – particularly climatic ones – are harder to predict. “Even so, around 20,000 containers of ware potatoes are shipped to distant destinations every year, so it remains an important market,” Bergmann adds.
The impact of CIPC’s disappearance in 2020 is still felt every day throughout the export chain. For many years, it provided a relatively robust, easy-to-use solution with long-lasting effects and was resilient in use. Today’s alternatives require a different approach: dormancy must now be monitored and extended in several steps. For ware potatoes, this ideally starts in the field with the application of maleic hydrazide (MH), which lays the foundation for delayed sprout development. Without that foundation, it becomes far more difficult, especially in the spring, to deliver sprout-free potatoes after several weeks in transit. “Batches treated with MH are simply less active,” says Kouters. “But even then, it’s not enough. You need full control of the entire process.”
MH has the greatest effect on delaying sprout growth, while supplemental products during transit mainly provide support. The transport phase itself is critical. Containers are typically in transit for three to five weeks, sometimes longer. In addition, on arrival potatoes may remain in warm conditions for days, or even weeks, before unloading. Under these conditions, sprouting can still start.
In the search for alternatives to CIPC, the Dutch Potato Organisation (NAO) identified that 1,4SIGHT could contribute to sprout suppression during long export chains. 1,4SIGHT is based on the active substance 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (1,4DMN) which has been used in potato storage for many years. Its mechanism of action differs fundamentally from that of CIPC. While CIPC is deposited on the potato as a solid residue, 1,4DMN works through the vapour phase. It must be present as vapour in the atmosphere surrounding the potatoes, and it is then absorbed through the skin. “It’s not a classic sprout inhibitor,” Bergmann explains. “It’s a dormancy enhancer that effectively restores natural dormancy of potatoes. The product does have to be present in the atmosphere for a certain amount of time.” This makes application more sensitive. Brief exposure is not enough. The potato must actually absorb the product. This is not a problem in storage sheds, but in export practice, where time is scarce and the workload high, it is a challenge.
The breakthrough in making the product suitable for use came when researchers began to view the container itself as a treatment space. Instead of treating potatoes in storage sheds and then transporting them, the product is now applied directly inside the loaded container. This may sound logical, but it requires precise coordination of factors such as dosage, air distribution, and timing. In multi-year trials, conducted under realistic conditions, containers were filled with different packaging types and varieties and treated with 1,4SIGHT. This was done in coordination with the NAO, among others. In the study, manufacturer DormFresh examined distribution, absorption, and effectiveness. The results were remarkably positive. The distribution of the product proved to be highly homogeneous. From the front to the back of the container and from the top to bottom in the stacked bags as well as in big bags. In addition, absorption was faster than expected. Due to the high loading density, the air volume inside the container is relatively small, which causes the concentration of the product to rise quickly. “That’s an advantage,” says Bergmann. “The potatoes absorb the product faster than in a storage shed.”
The biggest surprise was the required absorption time. Where the manufacturer recommends at least 48 hours in storage conditions, a period of around two hours in the container provided to be sufficient. This aligns closely with the practical situation. After loading, a container is typically on the road for a few hours before reaching the port where it is connected to power and ventilation. During that period, the product can already do its job. “That makes it feasible,” says Bergmann. “You don’t have to change anything in the logistics.” Once the container is connected, ventilation starts and the active substance gradually disappears from the air. By that time, it has already been absorbed by the potato and the effect has started.
The treatment remains effective throughout transport. Trials show that after being transported for four to six weeks at around 8oC, potatoes exhibit almost no sprouting. This effect also persists after arrival, when temperatures rise. In simulations where potatoes were stored at 20oC for a further two weeks after transport, sprout growth remained limited. This is crucial for export practice. It is this ‘shelf-life’ phase that often determines whether buyers accept or reject a consignment.
The Halofog 300 PC, developed by Veugen in Nederweert, enables this approach to be applied in practice. By positioning the unit against the container doorway, the opening is almost completely sealed. The 1,4Sight is then introduced as a fine mist. “The system has been deliberately designed to be simple, allowing a single operator to quickly adjust the front door as well as switch on the machine,” explains Rob Veugen. The unit runs on 220 volts and a compressor and uses pre-heated product to ensure optimal evaporation. “The product freezes at just 5oC. That is why, for this application, we heat it in the Halofog to approximately 90oC to prevent freezing in the lines and nozzles, and also to ensure proper vaporisation and uniform distribution throughout the container,” Henning Bergmann explains. “We therefore work with a dedicated half-litre container, precisely tailored to the quantity needed for a full container treatment.” The treatment itself takes only ten minutes. After that, the exporter can close the container and it is ready for immediate departure. It is important that the mist is as dry as possible and can disperse freely over the potatoes, avoiding any risk of skin damage. DormFresh recommends carrying out the treatment outdoors where possible, due to odour and potential exposure of other crops. The costs are transparent. The product costs about 100 Euros per container, alongside an investment of 7,500 Euros (rounded off) for the machine.
For Kouters, the new technology is a valuable addition, but not a replacement for the basic principles. “It remains a combination,” he says. “MH in the field, proper storage and then this. Everything has to be right.” This certainly applies to batches without MH, such as oversized off-grade seed potatoes. In those cases, application in the container can make a difference. At the same time, the economic reality remains harsh. Additional treatment costs are difficult to recoup in a market where prices are under pressure. “You don’t get anything extra in return,” says Kouters. “But you do need it in order to be able to deliver.”
The introduction of this technology fits into a broader development within the sector. Export is becoming less of a given, but that is precisely why it is strategically more important. Markets are changing, competition is increasing and climate differences are causing greater volatility. In that environment, traders need to operate flexibly. “You need to be able to adapt,” says Kouters. “And make sure you’re ready when there’s a demand.” The container in Dinteloord is closed. The shipment leaves for the port. The technology is new, but the goal in trade remains the same: delivering high-quality potatoes anywhere in the world. ●
Kouters Potato Trade in Dinteloord is a company fully equipped to move with the market. Where many parts of the supply chain rely on fixed contracts and rigid structures, Mark Kouters deliberately places flexibility at the centre of his business model. In a sector where certainty is becoming increasingly scarce, he sees agility as the key production factor.
Rooted in trading, the company has evolved into a broadly operating player in the potato sector. Each week, around 1,000 tonnes of potatoes pass through the business, with export being an important pillar, alongside sorting, washing, packaging and storage and transhipment for third parties. This combination is no coincidence. Kouters is deliberately building a model in which different activities complement each other and absorb market fluctuations. For example, the company also handles transhipment of imported flows, such as sweet potatoes and foreign ware potatoes, creating a broader base than export alone.
Procurement is largely based on free trade. Kouters works with a large pool of growers, but only a limited number of them are under contract. This allows for rapid switching, but also demands trust and long-term relationships. “You have a moral obligation to your growers,” he says. “You have to do the best you can for them, because next year they have to be willing to deliver to you again.” This flexibility is also reflected in business operations. The company deliberately keeps fixed costs low and a large proportion of the workforce is flexible. Capacity is scaled up in peak periods and reduced when demand is lower. This structure enables the company to respond quickly to the volatility of the market.
Investments are made with a clear focus on efficiency and quality. In recent years, for example, the company has invested in a Van Dijke washing line, and an electronic sorting line, the Optica Q by Tolsma-Grisnich, both of which help to improve produce quality while making labour requirements more manageable. After all, an agency worker can soon cost 30 Euros an hour, which is an increasingly larger cost item and a determining factor in business operations. The export market itself has changed dramatically in recent years. Some traditional destinations have disappeared due to the rise in local cultivation projects, while competition from countries such as France, Germany and Poland has intensified. At the same time, climate change is creating a new dynamic. Extreme weather, such as drought, heat, and excessive rainfall, more frequently leads to disappointing harvests in various parts of the world. It is this volatility that creates opportunities for exporters. “The base has become narrower,” says Kouters. “But the chance of problems arising somewhere that you can respond to has increased.”
According to Kouters, the Netherlands can benefit from its strong cultivation knowledge, infrastructure, and logistics. In years when other regions underperform, the Dutch sector can quickly adapt and serve markets that temporarily or even permanently depend on imports. According to Kouters, this does require a different way of working. “You have to be ready when the demand is there. That means staying flexible, being able to act quickly, and ensuring quality is consistently in order.” In that context, innovations such as the use of 1,4SIGHT in containers are not a luxury, but a necessary step. They enable companies to deliver reliably even under changing conditions. “It remains a strong potato country,” says Kouters. “But the work no longer comes automatically; you have to take matters into your own hands.”
After the withdrawal of CIPC, the export sector found itself in a difficult position. While individual companies were running into practical limitations, a broader challenge emerged: how to establish a new standard for sprout inhibition in a complex export chain.
The Dutch Potato Organization (NAO) has taken on the role of facilitator in this process. Not by developing a solution itself, but by bringing parties together, joining an ongoing European research project, initiating its own research, and ensuring that results are translated into practical application. A research programme was set up with 25 companies from the sector. The focus was not only on products, but also on their usability within the chain. After all, a technically effective solution that cannot be integrated into logistics has no value in export.
“Our role was mainly to bring the right parties together and to focus on the practical questions. Exporters need to be able to work with it,” emphasises NAO policy officer Jan Gottschall. He explains that the organisation functioned as a connecting link between research institutions, trade, and product manufacturers, such as DormFresh. Potatoes were made available for trials, exporters were actively involved, and results were continuously fed back to the sector. “In a process like this, you need someone who connects researchers and exporters,” says Gottschall. “Not just looking at one single product or application, but at the system as a whole. Where are the bottlenecks? What is practically feasible? And how do you ensure that the sector actually uses it?”
This approach shifted the focus from just product-driven research to system development. The question was no longer which product works best, rather how do you create a workable solution within the chain? With the current system being used in containers, that step has been taken. “This is not a final solution, but it is an important step forward. We have shown that progress can be made through collaboration and field-based research,” says Gottschall.
Description of opening photo: Mark Kouters, Rob Veugen and Henning Bergmann (from l-r) load a container with sprout-free potatoes.
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