Apart from the organiser's usual harvest forecasts, the Weuthen Potato Day is an unmissable event for all representatives of the potato industry, from growers, packers, and traders to industry suppliers and service providers. Despite numerous challenges and uncertainties, the potato industry continues to be innovative and adaptable, as was evident during the tour of the stands and variety demonstrations on site. Climate-resistant varieties of all segments and modern sorting and storage technology are considered the key to long-term success.
Click here for the full photo report of the 34th Weuthen Potato Day.
Numerous representatives of the international potato industry met in sunny weather. Clockwise: representatives of the German companies EZG Hessen, Res Naturae GmbH and Huntegold; Michel Remijn from RMA welcomed Josef Färber from KCB, a subsidiary of the Weuthen Group, and Aviko representative Erwin Roßkopf at the stand; Karl Lentzen, potato wholesaler in Viersen and account manager for Germany at De Mooij with his colleague Hans van de Oever; Johannes Dankers and Maximilian Döink visiting Christian Oßwald from Danespo.
Climate-resistant varieties
In the wake of climate change and increasing weather extremes, heat-resistant and precipitation-resistant varieties are needed. Accordingly, Europe's renowned breeding houses, including many German companies, are constantly working on innovative varieties and carrying out cultivation trials in a wide variety of regions. This is a cross-segment trend. After all, 'climate-fit' potatoes are in high demand in all areas, whether for table potatoes, crisps or chips. Ferdi Buffen also confirmed in his opening speech that there will be sufficient seed potatoes available this year after a tight 2023. A positive message for potato growers, even if the supply situation can be very variety-specific in some cases.
The onion growers also presented themselves in their own demo field, which has now become an integral part of the range of products on offer. Despite annual increases in acreage, Germany is still heavily reliant on imported onions, especially in the second half of the season. To change this in the future, breeders have increasingly focussed on storage varieties in recent years, which can be offered on the fresh market well into the following year without any problems. Syngenta, for example, has launched a promising storage onion variety, Promotion, which has performed very well in several studies. "Research shows that this variety hardly loses any quality even in long-term storage (until May/June), which ultimately leads to less sorting and thus to significantly higher net yields than with the already established comparable varieties," says Andreas Giese from Syngenta. Bayer has also launched a new onion variety, Rockito, for marketing in the second half of the season.
Automation continues
In addition to the usual harvest demos, post-harvest technology in particular is playing an increasingly prominent role at the Weuthen Potato Day. This includes storage technology, crate handling and conveyor technology. Once again this year, many well-known suppliers of machinery and technology, mainly from the neighbouring Netherlands, presented their products. After a few difficult years for industry suppliers, the willingness to invest in automation and digitalisation seems to be increasing again, which is reflected in numerous projects of various sizes and directions in Germany. This has also prompted numerous new exhibitors, such as Flikweert Vision, to present at the Potato Day.
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