Agrico Bioselect can guarantee a sufficient supply of organic potatoes year-round, even in years with disappointing harvests. Director Mark Zuidhof thus emphatically establishes the cooperative's organic label as a reliable supply chain partner in the sale of organic potatoes.
During a meeting at the Agrico Research nursery in Bant, Flevoland, Zuidhof was positive about encouraging organic production. He cautioned, however, that cultivation shouldn't be too far ahead of sales. "Everything starts with sufficient sales opportunities. We monitor market developments and adapt our acreage accordingly."
Achieving the government's target of 15% organic by 2030 requires a shift in consumer mindset, but it will also require changes across all links in the sales chain. Achieving a breakthrough requires long-term agreements. All parties agree on this, that much is clear. However, putting these agreements into writing is proving to be far from easy.
Agrico Bioselect, with its 120 organic growers cultivating over 1.000 hectares of organic table potatoes, says it has been supplying various supermarkets year-round for some time. The introduction of more robust varieties and improved storage techniques have accelerated this development. "We are now seamlessly transitioning from the old to the new harvest," says Zuidhof.
Still some challenges
However, he says there are still some challenges, such as the dependence on external factors and their impact on the harvest. "The 2024 season was a tough one with Phytophthora, which led to lower yields and higher prices. This year, the opposite is happening. The challenge for a trading house is to plan sufficient acreage to continue offering its products. Supermarkets can promote organic products through promotions and thus contribute to increased sales."
The latter requires more intensive collaboration within the supply chain based on long-term agreements. Zuidhof: "Supply chain agreements advance all links in the chain. We hope to see a greater supply of organic potatoes in supermarkets. We are ready for it."
Hutspot agreement
Quirine de Weerd, responsible for the sustainability strategy at supermarket chain Lidl, fully agrees. "Retailers, growers, and the government all have a role to play in boosting the sales of organic products. We need to join forces." She emphasizes that the supermarket chain has been making multi-year agreements with growers and packers for some time now regarding volume growth and pricing. She points to the hutspot agreement signed last year with Biohuis. "In this way, we want to make an organic lifestyle affordable and accessible to everyone."
Jaap Korteweg of Bioplant, the association for organic arable farmers and field vegetable growers, nevertheless believes that sales of organic products are growing slowly. "The Netherlands is lagging behind in the organic sector. We're at the top of the field in terms of knowledge, and yet we're still letting it slide."