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 14 aug 2014 11:11 

PotatoEurope 2014: specialization increases in the potato industry


The European potato market will continue to specialize further in future and there is a distinct trend towards large-scale farms according to the assessment by Jan Paul van Hoven, long-time President of the European Arable Farmers (EAF) at the pre-press conference of the “PotatoEurope” fair in Bernburg-Strenzfeld on 18 June 2014.

The table potato market has been declining for years and sales volumes are shrinking. This trend in Europe can only be checked by quality campaigns. However, specialized cultivators can be right on target even in the contracting market. For this it will be indispensable to work intelligently along the entire value chain and take consumer needs regarding environmental aspects into account more strongly.
 
"In the seed potato market we will be talking about shorter cycles, and the steady increase in transport costs could improve production opportunities for local markets", said van Hoven. Qualitative aspects are becoming more important in cooperation between potato growers and processers, with an emphasis on the shelf life of the raw product. Cleaning and storage must focus more on extending the shelf life of the potato. This will be reflected in the processing. Consequently the checking of silver scurf is right at the top of the agenda for the cultivation sector.
 
European marketing is linked to global demand
On the marketing side the growing global demand will be significant for Europe’s potato sector. Increasing demand – especially from Russia – led to an 8 percent rise in potato exports last year. The main beneficiaries of this were the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium and France. In the past ten years potato exports have grown by around 33 percent.
 
Sales of chips/French fries were maintained at a good level in Europe. However, the largest growth markets are located outside the EU and sales have doubled in the past ten years. The strongest growing sales regions are to be found in the Middle East, Brazil and Eastern Asia including China.
 
World Cup brings positive short-term market momentum
Martin Umhau, Chairman of Germany’s potato industry organization UNIKA (Union der Deutschen Kartoffelwirtschaft) expects positive short-term momentum in the market from the FIFA World Cup. The prices in the other agricultural markets have not dropped as steeply as expected, and Umhau sees this as a hopeful sign for the potato market too. UNIKA is also focusing on growing consumer demands made of potato quality. Great potential for improvement is offered above all by the complete range of equipment and machinery with gentle cultivation methods and special post-harvest treatment.
 
PotatoEurope: 170 exhibitors have already booked stands
The organizer, DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft – German Agricultural Society,) can already report excellent participation in the international potato industry’s top event, PotatoEurope 2014, to be held from 3 to 4 September 2014 at the Rittergut Bockerode estate near Hanover. As Peter Grothues, Managing Director of the DLG Exhibitions Department, explained at the pre-press conference, 170 exhibitors from twelve countries have already booked stands. This represents an increase by ten percent compared with the figures at the same time before the 2010 event. All the leading companies from the fields of breeding, fertilizing, plant protection, machinery and equipment for production and processing, as well as traders and dealers will be offering a unique information programme covering all aspects of the potato sector on an area of altogether 35 ha. The strong international participation in PotatoEurope 2014 is encouraging. Nearly 70 exhibitors – and thus some 40 percent – come from outside Germany, with the largest contingent hailing from the Netherlands (34). Companies from Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, the United Kingdom and the USA will also be represented. The excellent stand bookings underpin the claim of this special event to be this year’s international platform for the entire potato industry. PotatoEurope 2014 will signpost the way to modern potato production and processing.



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