'Every grower should spend 4 hours on the sector'

From the start, the POC has been ambitious: to unite at least 50% to 80% of the Dutch consumption potato area in a recognized producer organization, in order to enforce market power and to sit at the table as a serious discussion partner with the handful of large buyers that our country has. In recent years, the POC has succeeded in raising tons to set up projects. For example, the cost price calculator, a growth model and to have extensive research done.

You have a strong opinion and you make it heard. How do farmers react to that? 
"The facts don't lie. Our claims - which were seen as activist - have become factual through scientific research. Now is the time to move on. There are enough topics in the potato sector that require attention. The ambition is there, but ultimately the growers themselves have to drive it by becoming members."

Putting a price on potatoes is currently impossible due to the lack of a listing. What is your position on the situation around PotatoNL?
"The POC is not at the table during the discussions, but we keep a finger on the pulse. As an organization, we are on the growers' side. It is unbelievable that, now that it is November, we still do not have an official quotation for consumption potatoes. That costs growers money when they are held accountable for the (too) low prices that are used in Belgium, for example."

Do you hear many concerned members about this topic?
"Strangely enough, it is remarkably quiet. It feels as if growers are happy with these prices. The free potato market may have shown high peaks in the past two seasons, but that was only for a very short period at the end of the season. Most growers do not benefit from that. This year too, money can be made, but then you have to have the yield and quality. Many companies lack that. At the same time, the cost price is sky-high."

Suppose the three parties do not reach an agreement and the result is a split listing, as we had before 2017. What is your position on this?
"As POC we are very critical of a processor listing. We will be the first party to have an official investigation carried out into the objectivity and reliability. Our investigations show that prices can already be influenced easily on a large scale, partly due to individualistic actions among growers."

You just said that surprisingly few growers approach you about the listing. Why do you think that is?
"That's a good question. I think the sense of community is missing among potato growers. Entrepreneurs prefer to shell their own beans and are not proud enough of the sector. A fellow grower who sticks his neck out – and for example participates in a listing committee – gets the shit thrown at him when the price is too low. That has a demotivating effect."

Will that appreciation eventually come? Society, and perhaps the agricultural sector as well, is becoming increasingly individualistic.
"It's not difficult at all. If every grower frees up three to four hours a year for the benefit of the sector, then everyone will be helped. Think about submitting transactions, filling out a survey, calculating your cost price with our calculator and attending meetings to ask a critical question. Be social and also air the positive. Together you will get further."

The Netherlands has the smallest potato area in the EU-4. Aren't we just too small to make a fist?
"That is precisely why the POC is lobbying hard in other European growing areas for consumption potatoes. In France we have invested a lot of time and effort and growers there are enthusiastic. This country has had a growers' organization (editor's note: GAPPI) for much longer, but steps must be taken to make this a recognized producer organization. By tackling it on a large scale, you can grow to 80% of the area as a member. With this support, you make the difference. That does require collectivity."

Companies across Europe are getting bigger and bigger, making it difficult to unite all those egos?
"You have to be big and get bigger to make money. Don't forget that with 500 hectares you only cover 2% of the input of one factory. People quickly forget that scaling up has a huge impact on the sector, I think. We have to drive increasingly larger machines at unfavorable times. That has a negative impact on the soil. In an extreme year like 2023 and 2024, the impact of that will become clear. Ultimately, scaling up costs food production, I am convinced of that."

What are you currently working on at the POC?
"The cost price calculator and the growth model are both running. This year, the taring methods and conditions of factories were examined. We received a European subsidy for this to investigate this thoroughly. It turns out that the differences between them are large in percentage terms. Different buyers come up with their own sustainability scheme. As POC, we would like to see sustainability on the arable farm be made the same for everyone. The costs must be passed on and not settled with a tip. That is why we are starting a chain dialogue. These discussions are now underway. The project is in the research phase."

What's wrong with a program for regenerative cultivation or other requirements that are rewarded?
"The danger lies in the fact that all these requirements will become the new standard in the future. A small additional price or an interest reduction is now used as a lure, but that will not remain the case. With the legal possibilities of a POC, we make it possible to take the initiative yourself. Where has the pride of the farmers gone? You have to sign a contract to get seed potatoes and buyers determine the rules of the game. In the future, buyers will determine the price of the 'other' potatoes in addition to the contract price and that is how your money is credited! When I explain all this to someone outside the potato sector, I always get surprised looks."