He who pays the piper calls the tune!

At the end of May, during the World Potato Congress in Dublin, I had the opportunity to meet many colleagues from the sector. This congress, which is organised (officially) every three years, brings potato science and technology closer to growers, breeders, traders and the processing industry.

This summer, I cycled from my home to Santiago de Compostella. A wonderful experience to be on the road alone for a long time, to meet a wide range of people and also to get to know myself in a new way. Both physically and mentally.

The current disruptive potato market requires a focus on future opportunities. In addition to the terrible events in Eastern Europe, I see that society and politics are pursuing their own agendas, for example the Food to Fork themes.

With the installation of a robot-controlled box warehouse at the farm of seed potato grower Gilbert van Campen, I believe a new phase has arrived in the grading of seed potatoes. Growers can now fill the warehouse with boxes of field crop produce, and a few hours later, the electronic grading installation has graded, inspected…