The annual general meeting of Belgapom, the Belgian potato trade and processing industry association, has appointed Marc Van Herreweghe as its chairman. He succeeds Marc Seru who in accordance with the articles of association was not available for re-election after two terms of 3 years. Marc Van Herreweghe is the CEO of the family-owned potato processing company Mydibel in Mouscron. Since the beginning of this year, Van Herreweghe is chairman of the executive committee for the Processing section within Belgapom. He pointed to the necessity of the fast-growing potato sector in Belgium to make use of the technological means available to better coordinate the entire potato chain. This can benefit all the links in the chain, he said. The potato sector must more than ever before defend its interests, saying that Belgium has the ideal soil and climate for growing potatoes. Thanks to the development of the potato-processing sector into a leading industrial player in the global agro-food sector, Belgium is faced with numerous new challenges.
For example, because of climate change, the increasing pressure from disease and pests and the availability of workers via the demand for ever more sustainable production, and the pressure on the use of crop protection agents, to the increasing market protection that poses major challenges to global trade. It is Belgapom’s task to handle this, together with the chain, through efficient cooperation with national and European organisations, he said. To this end he also pointed out the role of an inter-branch organisation to be founded in Belgium.
