News Potatoes
Organizations list risks of potato surplus
Trade association BO Akkerbouw and lobby group LTO Nederland are calling on potato growers to handle batches of potatoes carefully that remain on the farmyard or are returned to the fields. Due to a large surplus, there are insufficient sales opportunities this season.
According to the organizations, it is clear that alternative sales channels, such as fermentation or use as animal feed, offer insufficient capacity to absorb the potato surplus. However, the barns must be emptied again for the next harvest. This brings on-farm storage or spreading on the land into the picture. This poses risks, both for the crop and for the environment.
Following consultation with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), BO Akkerbouw and LTO Nederland are introducing a overview of rules and guidelines to draw attention to these risks. The message from these organizations is primarily a warning: whatever happens to the surplus potatoes, the long-term consequences for crop health and the environment must weigh heavily in the choices growers make now.
Driving out is not a simple solution
Spreading surplus potatoes seems like a practical solution at first glance, but it is not from a legal or cultivation perspective. The rules only allow it if growers prevent the potatoes from sprouting again. This means that batches must first be treated, for example by shredding or working them into the soil.
This creates a new challenge. Remaining tubers can develop into volunteer plants, which constitute a major source of diseases such as Phytophthora. Growers are required to actively control these volunteer plants and prevent disease outbreaks.
In addition to phytophthora, potato fatigue also plays a role. Moving soil or potatoes from infected fields can spread the disease further. The NVWA therefore advises implementing strict hygiene measures and not moving material from infected soil.
John Ramaker
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