The biggest challenges in potato-growing Netherlands are dehydration and pressure spots. This is followed by the development of germs, silver scurf and rot nests. This is apparent from ENGIE Refrigeration's survey among Dutch potato growers.
ENGIE wants to use the research to gain insight into the hidden wishes of the growers and developments in the market. With the ongoing drought of recent months, their main concern comes as no surprise. No plot or outdoor ventilated storage area can escape the dry, warm conditions. Cooling with outside air is virtually impossible, which increases the risk of dehydration.
The will to invest
Around the top 5 challenges When it comes to potato storage, 62% of the respondents indicate that they are most likely to invest in new storage technologies in the future. The majority of the growers surveyed (73%) prefer an investment in mechanical refrigeration. This means they are no longer dependent on the outside air and it no longer matters whether it is hot or humid outside. About 25% of the respondents indicate that they want to invest within 1 year, 42% within 3 years.
Less than 3% dehydration
The results confirm the trend that ENGIE also observes among its own clients. "For potato growers, maintaining the quality of the potato during storage is essential. The longer they can maintain the quality, the more room they have to choose the right trading moment", says Gert Jan Knippenberg, Business Development Manager at ENGIE Refrigeration.
He continues: "Dehydration, the biggest challenge, is with mechanical cooling limited to less than 3%. It is not for nothing that we see an increasing demand for this storage technology. This makes weather-independent storage possible. That offers perspective, especially in dry periods like this one."
Stable conditions
In addition to potato growers, more onion growers are also turning to ENGIE for a system for drying and storing outside air independently. "Mechanical cooling allows them to dry, heat and refrigerate the onions after harvesting. This guarantees a stable temperature and humidity during storage. This improves the quality of their products," says Knippenberg.
Of the respondents, 80% cultivate between 10 and 70 hectares of potatoes. 65% of them expect their acreage to remain the same for the next 3 years. Approximately 66% of the starch potato producers currently store their potatoes in bulk, as do 75% of the ware potato producers.
box storage
On the other hand, 87% of the seed potato growers indicate that they store the potatoes in crates. The potato growers mainly work with outside air, gas heaters and sprout inhibitors for storage.