Contract Innovator for fresh fries above 30 euros

Farm Coaching has been offering fixed price contracts to potato growers in Flevoland since 2013. Why only in this province? Simply because of the logistical advantages and the high quality and coarseness delivered, says owner Philip Kroes. "The potatoes are sorted, washed and packaged locally. The product is then sold exclusively to an international chain of fast food chains, which cut it into fresh fries."

Contract price up to €30,69
On week 11 (mid-March), Innovator growers can count on a contract price of €26,23 per 100 kilos. This increases to €27,23 in week 14, €28,23 in week 17 and finally €30,69 in week 21 (end of May). Delivering later is possible, but according to Kroes, growers usually do not aspire to this because of the risks involved and the high storage costs. "After the end of May, we will only talk about box storage and mechanical cooling."

This concerns a hectare contract for 45mm upwards. A maximum of 50 tons per hectare can be recorded, provided the grower can demonstrate this return with information from the past. The grower can freely sell tonnes in excess of the contract, but there is a return obligation for the contracted volume. Kroes: "The Innovator variety grows coarse relatively easily, so this requirement is not such a problem for growers. As a rule, you only have 1% undersize in a batch. The size is very important for the buyer. The coarser the potatoes are. , the less cutting. The quality must also be top. We simply cannot keep a batch of sprouts good long enough after collection from the grower until consumption in the restaurants. That is too risky."

Seed potato costs
The company also supplies the necessary seed potatoes. The price is €47, ex seed potato grower, for autumn delivery in size 35-50mm and €28 for 50mm upwards. €0,40 is added per week. In week 10 this amounts to €51 for 35-55mm and about €37 for the coarse, including transport and cutting costs.

Farm Coaching has multi-year agreements with its regular customers. "They recognize that the grower must receive a fair reward for the potatoes, so that he can make the right (cultivation) choices and invest in healthy cultivation," says Kroes. "We would prefer to have a permanent group of arable farmers who will also be growing for us in ten years' time. Cultivation advice is also offered, but it is of course not an obligation." For the 2022 harvest year, the company will pay €1,50 in arrears on top of the previous contract price, to compensate for the costs incurred - especially for irrigation - and the increased cultivation costs.