South Africa: 2016 Seed Potato Grower of the year announced

During the Seed Potato Grower’s forum in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, JP van den Berg from Northwest was named Seed Potato Grower for 2016 at the Bayer gala dinner. The other finalists for this year’s award were Frans Engelbrecht (North West) and W & K Boerdery (Western Free State). Three years’ certification data (from registration to control results) were used to determine the winner. Bayer and Potato Certification Service strive to build on quality as the cornerstone for the industry. Both organisations stand for sustainability for all stakeholders in the potato industry. After a difficult year during the 2015/16 drought, it has become very clear that consistency and reliability are two qualities that will support players in the potato industry. Bayer strives to provide access to innovation, by investing in research to offer the potato industry products that address problems like managing virus vectors and soil-borne diseases. More