Potato processor Schaap Holland is aiming for a doubling of the Aromata acreage for cultivation year 2023. This early ware potato is widely used by the company. Both the yield and the financial return this year are good. The result of the pool is almost €30 per 100 kilos. 'If you can't grow potatoes for that price, it's better to do something else,' says director Hans Geling.
When KWS Potato stopped conventional seed potato propagation in 2014, the license was moved from Aromata to the Stet trading house. Schaap Holland from Biddinghuizen acquired the worldwide exclusive right for this breed, which has continued to grow slightly in size. The company is aiming for a growth spurt for 2023. Customers are increasingly asking for the potato.
Price considerably higher
Schaap has two pool contracts for the sales of Aromata. The table potato pool – with a duration from weeks 34 to 43 – and a short-term pool for the peeling company. This runs between weeks 36 and 39. The average delivery time for the table potato pool this year was week 39. In that week the pool achieves a net result of €28,85 per 100 kilos in size 40-65 mm. This includes PlanetProof compensation. The variety is grown solely under this sustainability characteristic for retail sale. Last season the result of €20,80 (including compensation) was also good. The 5-year average is €16,24.
The result of the Aromata peel pool is a lot lower at €22,45 for the 40mm upwards (delivered in week 37). This does not include the PlanetProof reimbursement. A GlobalGap certification is sufficient. In this pool, growers harvest green crops for Schaap on demand.
Aromata can keep up well with the Agria and complements this segment when Agria is not yet available. There is no question of replacement yet, says director Hans Geling. "Agria remains top of the bill, especially in terms of cooking properties. The reputation of the variety is simply very good. Expansion in Aromata's table potatoes is slightly at the expense of the Melody and Milva variety. But we still see volumes in the table segment growing This has been the case since the corona crisis. Now that we have entered a recession, consumers are buying more price-consciously. Potatoes fit well in the shopping basket as an affordable and healthy food. The fact that supermarkets have pushed the potato through promotions certainly contributes to the financial result of the pool."
Double area
Schaap is committed to doubling the area for the 2023 growing season. "The extra hectares partly come from existing growers," Geling outlines. "Fifty percent of these will be new growers who will start working with Aromata next year for delivery in the months October to December. The cost of potato cultivation is increasing, a grower who cannot grow potatoes for almost €30 cannot better start growing something else." Because Schaap takes care of the seed potato propagation itself, sufficient starting material is available for this expansion.
Apart from the financial return, there are a number of technical reasons why arable farmers like to grow the variety, Geling believes. "With ABCDE resistance (against the potato cyst nematodes G. rostochiensis and G. pallida) you are able to reduce or eliminate an AM infestation. This also appeals to seed potato growers. In addition, the variety is not very sensitive to drought, which This year has also been proven. Our advice is not to irrigate too much and to spread too much nitrogen. Aromata has very lush foliage growth. This can be at the expense of the yield."
Good net yield
After an extreme growing season, the potato company sees large yield differences. "The cultivation is focused in Flevoland, the south-west of the Netherlands and to a small extent in Friesland. This concerns potatoes for the table segment for which the peel quality - and therefore the soil type - is very important. This variety is also grown for us in Germany. The Yields fluctuate widely, from sixty tons to less than forty tons. The average over all plots is 47,5 net tons per hectare, which is very good considering the season, and with excellent quality."
Are there any disadvantages? According to Geling, this is mainly the sensitivity to growth cracks. "That did not come to light this season." Perhaps a good setting contributed to this. Geling: "Next season we will extend the sales period until December. In addition to the table potato segment and in the peeling company, the excess size is sold as chip potatoes in the export market. You can use it to cut fresh fries. For this jack of all trades see We therefore have good opportunities. Interested growers are welcome at our variety show in Biddinghuizen on November 9 and 10."