After a difficult potato harvest, the challenges are not over for many arable farmers. Working with new sprout inhibitors is not easy. Parties are already very germ-hungry. Emergency measures cost growers a lot of money. It's only the beginning of the problems.
On the clay soils, the ware potato growers again struggled to get the potatoes into the shed. This immediately leads to storage problems. Only when the product is completely dry can a 1,4Sight treatment be started. In addition, it is not possible to ventilate for 2 days. That is also a problem. There is some rot here and there. Storage specialists mainly see rotten tubers in lots of light soils. For example in the Agria variety, but also the Fontanes on sandy soil in the east of the Netherlands cause problems. Because tubers leak continuously, it is important to continue to ventilate. If you are gassing with 1,4Sight, this is not possible.
germicidal
Everyone agrees that the potatoes are very sprouting. However, opinions differ as to why that is. That's what one person calls the relatively high temperatures during harvesting. It was especially hot in September. Little was harvested during that period, but dormancy was disrupted. That is very noticeable. Insiders also doubt whether an MH spray has worked sufficiently this year. It may have been sprayed too late, or the shooting conditions were not ideal. Over the past 2 years, MH has been credited with a very good effect. Even under dry conditions. That's disgusting now. Possibly a CIPC treatment at the time of storage did most of the work.
Before the season, the growers had to figure out how they were going to implement the sprout inhibition. Contract prices did increase, although the margin was thin. That is why efforts were made to ensure the proper functioning of MH in the field, after which 1,4Sight could be started in the new year. In practice, many growers have now started fumigation. Germination was observed as early as a month ago. Argos oil has also been used for this, sometimes followed by 1,4Sight. With the first agent the germ is burned off and with the second agent the process is stopped. An expensive emergency solution that is necessary to save the party.
1,4Sight under fire
The European potato sector relies on 1,4Sight this year. The Netherlands (unlike other countries) has many years of experience with the product, which contains the active ingredient 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene. This substance is naturally present in the potato skin and thus acts as a natural sprout inhibitor. The drug is under fire this year. To start with, because not all export countries have an MRL for the active substance. This can be the fries export limit. On the other hand, there were criticisms of availability and the consequences for pricing. On Friday 4 December it was announced that the drug in Germany (together with Argos) would be immediately available forbidden after 2 storage sheds went up in flames. In the Netherlands there is mainly comment on the penetrating air, which not everyone seems to be able to cope with.
BASF is currently in the process of equipping all storage sheds with a warning sign. That is not because of the air or health risks, but for optimal effect of the product, it says. A cell must be hermetically sealed for 48 hours so that the agent can penetrate well into the tuber.
Availability drives up price
Compared to countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and Poland, the Netherlands has a relatively large amount of the drug at its disposal. However, liver problems are noticeable here too. Especially at CZAV, according to insiders. Anyone who worked with 1,4Sight last year can purchase the same amount of product this season. However, no drug is available for 'new' growers. It is indicated, however, that more product will become available during the storage season. Other suppliers have little to no liver problems, according to insiders.
At the same time, the price has increased enormously. Two years ago, a liter of 1,4Sight cost €140, according to the Delphy crop protection guide. This season it is €180 per litre, although in practice even higher amounts are charged. It's crazier abroad. An insider from Poland reports that he even has to pay €260 per liter. The costs of Argos are €18 to €4 per liter. The difference is that this product has a maximum application of 19 milliliters per ton of product, whereas with 100Sight this is only 1,4 milliliters per ton.
Cost item
There is a big difference between theory and practice in terms of application this year. The 10 milliliters 1,4Sight is not always sufficient, so 20 milliliters is administered once. The interval of four weeks is also reduced to 3 weeks for the batches that are 'loose'. This is not in accordance with the authorization, which uses an interval of at least 28 days. In practice, however, it is done to save a party. In addition, you have a maximum of 6 applications per season. Anyone who has 1.500 tons of chips potatoes in storage will incur a cost of €2.700 to €5.400 per gas service. In addition, there are also any costs for having it applied. Certainly at Argos, which requires specialized equipment with a high administration volume. The devices cannot be dragged. Suppliers have pre-sorted this and usually have their own machines.
What does this mean for the potato market? There is currently no binding offer. It happens sporadically, insiders report. Problems with germination and rot are noticeable throughout the Netherlands, according to a round of questions from Boerenbusiness. There is, however, a noticeable increase in the supply of free potatoes. Growers are reluctant to incur thousands of euros in costs and do not expect the free market to reimburse this during the season. These are usually co-delivered kilos, which are sold for prices of €2,75 to €3 per 100 kilos. That shows the DCA-PAT Index.
Alternatives with snags
Those who do not want to work with the aforementioned means fall back on Restrain Ethylene or Biox-M (mint oil). The latter has a higher price and leaves a strong odor. Ethylene is strongly discouraged by most factories because it can adversely affect the baking color. It is the cheapest sprout inhibitor, and the gas is less diffuse, so that it is sometimes used. This in close consultation with the customer. Many farmers who have invested in mechanical refrigeration have it easier. They can store their chips potatoes at 6 to 6,5 degrees or table potatoes, such as a Melody, even at 4,5 degrees. Germination is not a problem there.
As the storage season progresses, it is likely that the problems will increase and more lots will have to be cleared early. There is also the question of how much extra costs growers can and want to incur for sprout inhibition. That is also very important for next season. The new chip potato contracts are heading for a reduction, where a discrepancy will arise in view of the significantly higher costs.