PRESQUE ISLE, MAINE—The McCain Top 10 Potato Growers were recognized at the annual McCain Grower Barbecue at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center in Presque Isle on August 24. Almost 300 guests gathered to celebrate the 2017 growing season and recognize the top ten growers and their achievements. Champion grower selection is based on the highest standing quality of the following three delivery categories: field direct delivery, winter storage delivery and…
New Zealand’s potato industry governing body has made a commitment to ensure the quality of potatoes imported from New Zealand by Fiji will be of top quality. Potatoes New Zealand (PNZ) says it wanted to see Fiji’s potato industry grow. Its chief executive, Chris Claridge, made the comments during the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji’s (BAF) bilateral meeting with the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (NZMPI) in Nadi on Tuesday.PNZ was representing…
Marketing of potatoes and their respective pricing often depends on what is happening with the crop in other parts of the world and there are some significant events that growers should be aware of. This Crop Update focuses on the European crop and growing conditions with information sourced from World Potato Markets, NEPG, AMI, and AHDB. The North-western European Potato Growers (NEPG) represents the five largest growing countries in Europe. Here is…
Tanzania and the Netherlands last week signed an agreement that will see the two countries cooperate in production of Irish potatoes. The permanent secretary in the ministry of Agriculture, Mr Mathew Mtigumwe, and the Dutch Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Jeroen Verheul, signed the document on behalf of the two governments. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the deputy minister in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments), Mr Josephat Kandege, officials…
According to potato producers and importers, potato consumption has decreased due to the migration wave, the closing of restaurants, and the reduction of the restaurants working hour. Importers don’t plan to import more potatoes for the rest of the year. “Consumption has drastically fallen because there are no more tourists visiting the country. There are thousands of people emigrating, it is a general effect,” said Pedro Lopez, one of the main importers…
Throughout North-Western Europe the NEPG (North-Western European Potato Growers) reports that it is obvious that the next potato crop will be much lower and quality issues will be a main challenge. Extreme record drought and exceptional temperatures all over the main potato growing countries in Europe. Not even 50 % of the North-Western potato acreage can be irrigated and is spite of the high costs irrigation pumps are working day and night….
The 19th edition of INTERPOM PRIMEURS will be held on November 25-27, 2018 in Kortrijk Xpo (Belgium). INTERPOM PRIMEURS is the most sharply focused indoor trade fair in Europe for the entire potato and vegetable sector. The whole chain will be taking part, from growers to processing and marketing. Once again, the event has shown positive growth figures and with 315 exhibitors, stand space has already been fully booked, months before the…
David Rodgers, the second generation of his family growing potatoes in Ballyboughal, and his father have never experienced anything like it. So parched is the earth in this famously lush and fertile north Co Dublin countryside – renowned for its food produce – that potatoes are not growing at all. One of four brothers who grow Queens, Kerr’s Pinks and mostly Roosters over 250 acres, they supply Country Crest, which in turn…
The Turkish market has been experiencing a significant rise in potato and onion prices, two staples of Turkish dinner tables. Consumers were naturally quite unhappy with this situation and a lot of speculation has been made in the market to understand why this dramatic rise had happened. Turkey Minister of Agriculture Ahmet Esref Fakibaba: “We have enough potato production in Turkey, our annual production is around 5 million tons and our consumption…
At present in Vietnam, each potato processing plant has a demand for potato of 180,000 tons per year. However, domestic demand can only meet 30-40% of these processing plants. The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam recently said at the International Potato Center cooperation seminar held in Hanoi that in the past, Vietnam had a large potato planting area of about 130,000 hectares. For some time, the…