Northwestern European Potato Area Increased Based upon a provisional estimation of the North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG), the area in the five largest potato countries increased to 609,000 ha of consumption potatoes. This is the largest ever. Although it is not the final area figure (final figures will be published at the beginning of July), the estimations show a growth of 2.4 per cent compared with last year and 8.4 per cent…
Prince Edward Island April has been cold with above average rainfall. May has seen more normal amounts of rainfall, however showers almost every second day has made it difficult for growers to get into the fields. As of today, about 10-15% of the potato crop has been planted. Overall acreage will likely be similar to last year. Pricing on old crop has been good with GRI’s at $20.90. Although demand is good,…
IN SOME REGIONS of the world potato consumption has stagnated in recent years. There are several thorny reasons for that, says Peter VanderZaag, president of Sunrise Potato Storage in Alliston, Ont., and a professor at Yunnan Normal University in Kunming, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China. “In the media, potatoes get a bad rap in many ways,” he asserts. “There is lots of information out there about how they are fattening, they…
P.E.I. POTATOES HAS established a strong reputation as a leader in marketing and promoting potatoes, both within Canada and abroad. It has now come out with a new media campaign that relies heavily on the Island’s beauty and rich potato heritage to further entrench the Prince Edward Island Potatoes brand in the minds of consumers. The new television and online marketing campaign kicked off in November with a 30-second video called “What…
Gathering good information is important for any sector in meeting current and future market demands, and researchers at the University of Guelph and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are continuing to do just that with regard to conventional and pigmented potatoes. Most consumers know by now that eating fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants may decrease their chances of developing heart disease, cancer and more. Because potatoes are already such a popular food,…
MARCEL BRUINS, editor of European Seed, sat down with the leaders of five major potato breeding companies in Europe to learn more about the challenges of breeding new potato varieties. Piet Smeenge, director of Kweekbedrijf Smeenge-Research; Vanessa Prigge, Crop Improvement project manager at Solana; Gerard Backx, CEO of HZPC; Jan-Paul Bandsma, product manager at de Nijs Potatoes; and Guus Heselmans, R&D manager of C. Meijer B.V., provided insight on this favoured crop. …
Portage la Prairie, Man., April 16, 2019 – Yesterday, McCain Foods (Canada) celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Portage la Prairie, Man., facility and also officially opened its new potato receiving area at a special ceremony hosted onsite at the potato processing facility. Manitoba dignitaries, including Premier Brian Pallister and Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler among others were in attendance, as were local growers from the Keystone Potato Producers Association, McCain executives and…
Since Spain joined the EU, its potato acreage has dropped from 200,000 hectares down to 65,000 hectares, although it seems that the decline may be coming to an end due to several factors. Firstly, consumers increasingly demand products with better culinary qualities. The potatoes stored at low temperatures, although aesthetically attractive, have disappointed the consumers in terms of taste, motivating them to switch to other products, such as pasta. The new potato…
The Potato Association of America is pleased to announce that the special issue of the American Journal of Potato Research (AJPR), Volume 96 Number 2 is now available online. The focus of this publication is “The Contribution of Potatoes to Human Nutrition.” It is the hope of the PAA that this special issue highlights the unique contribution of potato to the human diet, and concurrently expands AJPR readership and the journal’s stature…
The NEPG (North-Western European Potato Growers) have estimated that the upcoming area for consumption potatoes in 2019 will increase between one and two per cent toward almost 604,000 hectares in the five main production countries, driven by estimated increase in the area on the mainland. This is the largest area for more than ten years. This is a first estimation: planting for main crop is only starting and final figures will come…