BBTV Potato debate Part 1
The potato is the crop of the future
A lot comes down to the potato grower. Consumers make higher demands and political influence is also exerted. Just look at the shrinking package of crop protection products. The climate also plays an increasingly important role. How does the farmer hold his own in this playing field? Gea Bakker (Rabobank), Hendrik-Jan ten Cate (LTO/BO Akkerbouw) and Albert Schirring (Bayer) discuss these challenges in the Boerenbusiness Potato debate, part 1.
A very diverse trio of guests joined the studio of Boerenbusiness† Gea Bakker, arable sector manager at Rabobank, together with arable farmer and administrator Hendrik Jan ten Cate and Crop Manager Albert Schirring of Bayer, answered questions about the future of potato cultivation. After a special season there is 'after dinner'. "Who would have thought that, 175 years after the great Irish famine, the NOS news opened with news about phytophthora," says Schirring. In the next 9 years, the pressure on the resources package will only increase and keeping crops healthy will become a major task.
Resource package halves
The European Green Deal aims for a 50% reduction in the use of synthetic crop protection products by 2030. "Since the introduction of the new registration system in the EU, we have lost 50 active substances," says Schirring. "Potato cultivation has noticed this like no other with the disappearance of diquat, chlorpropham and mancozeb. Of the 250 active substances that are now registered in the EU, 50 have been registered under the new legislation. The industry estimates that of the remainder only 50 % reach the finish line.
Gea Bakker shares Schirring's concerns about the Green Deal. "We also hear this from growers. Because, what requirements are set for measures in the second pillar and what compensation is in return. An amount of €120 to €150 per hectare is disproportionate to the effort required." However, she also sees positive sides. "The Green Deal ensures a level playing field in the EU, that's where the profit lies. The consequences for the Netherlands can be significant, for example the mandatory number of dormant crops. This is much easier to achieve in extensive cultivation areas. Does the sector have to comply with these so-called green-blue services, then there must be a fair reward for this. This is only possible if the costs are passed on in the consumer price. The cost price goes up." Bakker believes that growing to a quarter of organically grown products is only possible if there is sufficient demand for it. "Demand-driven production is the credo."
Get rid of calendar farmers
It is difficult for LTO and BO Akkerbouw board member and Zeeland arable farmer Hendrik Jan ten Cate that the national and European government is increasingly taking the position of the grower. "More and more calendar dates are being worked on, which does not correspond with practice. After all, every season is different, we are outside with our crops. That is a threat. Not all soils are equal, so 1 approach with regard to crop rotations does not work. We have to from fixed data and looking at the circumstances, soil and environment.
Ten Cate does not consider it possible to expand the potato area, not in our country. "There is pressure from nature, housing and government policy. Think of the Seventh Action Program Nitrates Directive with more dormant crops and wider cultivation-free zones. The pressure on the acreage is increasing. These rules also affect the potato price. We are facing a significant cost increase. As a result, the potato price has to go to a structurally higher level." Potato cultivation sees the most in a stable cost-effective price. "The entire risk now lies with the grower. In terms of cultivation, price and sales. An equal distribution of the risks in the chain is required. That requires good chain cooperation, which we are already working on. Also think of starting material It is important for the potato grower to have a good starting position.
Get rid of prize fighter image
Pressure on cultivation does not match the expansion plans of the European potato industry. Is it therefore justified to continue to finance this sector in their expansion plans? According to Bakker, this depends on the growth strategy. "How does a factory fill in its sourcing, is it done responsibly? Rabobank sees sales within a radius of 800 kilometers as local. You will then already have many European world cities. Overseas will become more difficult in the future. The image of price fighter is on the "This is not sustainable in the long term, certainly not as a capital-intensive country like the Netherlands. We have to explain to society how valuable the potato is. How and why do you grow it. Not all countries appreciate this, locally it happens sooner."
After 3 dry years, the potato sector has had this season with wet conditions. "Every grower has had to deal with phytophthora and its control", says Schirring. "It is a wake-up call for the sector. We have lost a lot this year. Resistances have been broken and green products turned out not to be resistant to the fungus. Phytophthora is very adaptive and aggressive. We have a solution for many diseases, but not for this one. "We still have a relatively large number of agents available for the control. This will change next year due to the disappearance of mancozeb. That is a problem for resistance management. Growers are going to use other agents more often, which is disadvantageous. We know that Phytophthora responds quickly to this." "
Policymakers
According to Schirring, growers bear a joint responsibility to use the remaining package of resources in a smart way. "New active substances will be introduced, but be realistic. So many substances are now disappearing that the sector cannot replenish them. It will take 12 years before we have a new product on the market. Everyone wants to meet the sustainability requirements by 2040 and respond We are positive about this. We do not know how to do that. Policy makers must realize that it takes a lot of time. The legal policy for the new assessment policy for resources is so strong that it is not conceivable that decisions will be reversed. That must come from politicians , but I have faith in that. We have not seen any action to date. Policymakers do not think proactively and the long-term memory is limited. Ambitions are good, but they have to be realistic."
In addition, several ways are required to meet the requirements, such as new breeding techniques. Schirring is positive about the possibilities of Crispr-Cas in the EU. "The benefits are obvious. We simply cannot afford not to use them. Outside the EU, it has now been adopted in the US and Asia." Another argument is the bottom, which Bayer is also strongly committed to. "We didn't have that knowledge 50 years ago. Then we saw chemistry as the solution. Now we know better. If you look at the supermarket shelf, it is still full. The consumer must first realize that it is not common practice that this is always The grower now acts as a buffer for the well-being of society and problems are passed on to the grower. The craftsmanship of the Dutch grower is unprecedented and is highly regarded worldwide. Farmers are doing devilishly well. Can we get society connected and thinking along then I'm positive about the future."
This was the first part in a diptych of the Boerenbusiness Potato debate on the future of potato cultivation. Click here for the second part of the debate.
Niels van der Boom
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