No-nonsense, no-frills potato news stories from around the world
Royal HZPC Group anticipates a strong financial outcome for 2024/2025, expecting to surpass 1 million tons in global seed potato sales for the first time. With a favorable harvest and robust demand, revenue is projected at around €500 million, alongside historically high payouts to growers. John Thijssen joins the Supervisory Board, succeeding Michael Kester as chairman, ensuring a focus on global food security.
Scottish seed potato exports reached over 92,000 tonnes in 2023/24, with Egypt being the largest market at 60%. Plans are underway to boost exports to Jordan and Brazil. Scotland aims to grow shipments to Jordan from 700 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes in five years. Recent challenges have impacted profitability, but improved prices and availability are fostering optimism in the sector.
HZPC Americas Corp. is launching a Seed Dealer Network to strengthen the North American potato industry, focusing on the USA and Canada. They established strategic partnerships with Ebe Farms, Kroeker Farms, and Edmonton Potato Growers to ensure clean seed supply. Transitioning from direct sales to a licensing approach, HZPC aims to simplify processes and maintain strong support for their growers, reinforcing their market leadership in potato genetics.
Solynta is a leader in hybrid true potato seed development, focusing on food security and sustainability through innovative breeding technologies. Mark Hoogendoorn has joined as Sales Lead to enhance global sales and partnerships. His extensive seed industry experience will help launch true potato seeds worldwide, promoting sustainable agriculture with improved varieties that meet market demands and address global challenges.
In Haps, Southern Holland, potato farmer Maarten Robben experimented by sowing true potato seed (TPS) for the first time. His aim was to grow high-quality baby potatoes with reduced chemical use while combating late blight. By July 8, he planted Solynta’s Solhy017 and Solhy016 varieties. After 90 days, the harvest yielded excellent results, demonstrating both high germination rates and quality, potentially replacing imports.
Researchers at the University of Idaho studied the effects of seedborne Potato Virus Y (PVY) infections on potato yield and quality, revealing that evolving recombinant strains like PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi pose unique challenges for detection and management. Their findings highlight the necessity for adaptive strategies in potato agriculture to mitigate economic losses, emphasizing the importance of monitoring and tailored management practices in response to PVY’s variability.
Böhm-Nordkartoffel Agrarproduktion GmbH & Co. OHG has rebranded as EUROPLANT Innovation GmbH & Co. KG, uniting its activities under one brand. This consolidation aims to strengthen the corporate identity and improve communication. The management team has expanded, maintaining a focus on breeding and producing high-quality seed potatoes. Dr. Justus Böhm emphasizes a unified vision for future growth and efficiency.
In a secluded valley next to eastern Ontario, the Desjardins family operates a 1500-acre farm focusing on high-quality seed potato production, along with non-GMO crops through a four-year rotation. Since registering as seed growers in 2000, they cultivate over 300 acres annually. Their collaboration with the Ontario Seed Potato Growers Association (OSPGA) has strengthened, enabling them to supply various markets with popular potato varieties.
On October 29, 2024, the General Meeting of Shareholders of Royal HZPC Group approved the 2023/2024 financial statements. Challenges included lower yields due to adverse weather, but resilience led to a net profit of €6.1 million. Despite a decrease in gross margin to €67.3 million, total sales reached €415 million. New CEO Hans Huistra emphasizes growth potential through innovation and sustainable practices.
Gerard Backx, CEO of Royal HZPC Group, highlights an imbalance in the Dutch seed potato market due to a wet summer, affecting supply and availability. Despite less volume and risks with ‘farm-saved seed,’ he remains optimistic about the stable ware potato acreage. HZPC focuses on enhanced planning via a new ERP system to streamline processes, improve profitability, and better serve customers and growers without job cuts.
The biannual Seed Symposium, hosted by Potatoes USA in Denver, highlighted the exceptional quality and variety of U.S. seed potatoes, along with their rigorous certification process. Attended by international and U.S. growers, the event included discussions on seed trials, production training, and market opportunities. Participants found it beneficial for understanding certification and adapting varieties in their markets, valuing the firsthand farm visits.
In a recent op-ed for The Scottish Farmer, Brian Henderson discusses the challenges facing Scottish potato production, including poor harvests, low prices, pests, diseases, and high equipment costs, which have driven many growers out of the market. Brexit has hindered Scottish seed potato sales to the EU, altering production dynamics. A virus outbreak and compulsory burn-down orders have further complicated the situation, stymieing industry-wide collaboration.
Pragati Dahal, a University of Idaho graduate student, is researching U.S. potato farmers’ tolerance for economically impactful potato seed diseases. Her study, advised by Chris McIntosh, will survey growers to align their preferences with seed certification standards. With a Joe and Terri Guenthner Graduate Scholarship, Dahal aims to reduce wasted seed by understanding growers’ acceptance levels and informing certification systems.
The latest potato market report by the Irish Farmers’ Association indicates strong consumer and retail demand, with new season varieties helping to balance tightening stocks. In Scotland, seed potato planting has increased by 2%. In the UK, demand for old season crops is high amid low stocks, and new maincrop supply continuity might face challenges due to slow growth rates.
KEPHIS has approved three hybrid true potato varieties from Solynta for distribution in Kenya. These varieties, developed via non-GMO hybrid breeding in the Netherlands, include SOLHY007, SOLHY012, and SOLHY015, and are designed to be resilient, economical, and disease-resistant. Solynta’s seeds are easy to store and economical, requiring only 25 grams of seed to plant the same area as 2,500 kilograms of tubers.
Elijah Almanzor, a PhD student from the University of Cambridge, has developed the PotatoBot, an AI-powered robot designed to plant delicate Jersey Royal potatoes while minimizing damage. Supported by the UKRI EPSRC and the Jersey Farmers Union, this innovation mimics human planters, offering a solution to labor shortages and challenging terrains. Almanzor’s start-up, Robotlux, could potentially be adapted for other crops.
Bayer and Solynta have partnered to introduce true potato seed in Kenya and India, marking Bayer’s entry into the global potato seed market. This innovation allows farmers to use disease-free, durable seeds instead of traditional tubers, significantly reducing costs and improving crop resilience. Bayer will leverage its distribution networks to support smallholder farmers, enhancing food security and sustainability in the regions.
Branston Ltd, a UK potato supplier, donated £10k to support potato production in Alito, Uganda, enhancing food security and local farmers’ incomes. Alito’s agricultural college educates farmers, supplying students with potato seeds upon graduation. Alongside funding, Branston will construct water lagoons for irrigation and a test site for potato variety and fertilizer trials. Over 100 students and staff participated in the project.
Josh Parsons, an R&D scientist at PepsiCo’s Rhinelander, Wisconsin, farm leads a team combining traditional breeding with modern tools to cultivate high-quality potatoes for Lay’s chips. They grow new potato varieties through data-driven cross-pollination. These varieties are selected for yield, disease resistance, nutrition, and taste, aligning with PepsiCo’s sustainability and nutrition goals. Despite the lengthy nine-year development process, only a few seeds become successful.
Royal HZPC Group forecasts a similar financial outcome for 2023/2024 as last year, with an expected 4% increase in turnover. Despite low European yields, sales exceeded expectations, especially in licensed tonnage in America and Asia, contributing to this growth. Financial challenges persist due to high yields in other regions and potential costs in politically unstable areas. The company also recovered funds from a cyberattack, closing that incident.
Potatoes, despite their versatile use in food and non-food sectors, have seen a dramatic 71% decline in UK’s fresh potato demand since the 1970s. According to a report by SRUC, Scotland remains more stable in potato production compared to the entire UK, accounting for significantly higher portions of seed potatoes, crucial due to its disease-free status. Scotland’s seed potato sector, highlighted for its economic importance, supports substantial employment and generates significant economic output.
Inov3pt, the Agricultural Technical Institute of Seed Potato in France has recently launched a comprehensive English-language website aimed at broadening its international engagements. The platform, accessible via www.inov3pt.fr, features detailed information on the institute’s missions, projects, and potato research innovations. It presents a hub for global agricultural connections, emphasizing collaborative and educational resources to advance potato science and foster shared learning worldwide.
The UK’s unique tattie roguing course by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is a gateway for job seekers to enter Scotland’s esteemed seed potato industry. Offering practical training on disease identification and crop maintenance, the course equips students with a certificate indicating their competency. With increasing plant diseases, skilled roguers are in high demand, addressing the vital need for crop health preservation.
The UK’s Seed Potato Organisation (SPO) considers extreme weather a significant threat to Scotland’s seed potato sector. Rising temperatures have increased aphid-induced diseases, endangering Scotland’s otherwise virus-free crops. Representing a third of Scotland’s seed potato acreage, SPO funds initiatives to combat these issues, including aphid-confusing tactics and supporting disease monitoring projects like those by the James Hutton Institute.
Europatat and key agricultural bodies expressed alarm over changes to the EU’s Plant Reproductive Material legislation up for a vote in April’s final week. The coalition opposes AGRI Committee’s amendments which may allow unchecked seed movement, raising the risk of disease and damaging sustainability efforts. They advocate for the European Parliament to maintain the Commission’s original balance to prevent a sector crisis.
