CULTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY Surfing the British Potato The Very Very Veg Co, a new Fenmarc concept Besides potato technology, there are, of course, also lots of potatoes at British Potato, both fresh and processed. You can find them at the Fenmarc stand, for example. Fenmarc is a British wholesaler in vegetables and fruit, and is attracting a great deal of attention with sales concepts. For potatoes, Fenmarc recently introduced The Very Very Veg Co label. This is all about dividing table potatoes into segments that are intended to make the consumer familiar with the preparation characteristics of the various potato varieties. In doing this, Fenmarc wants to emphasise the freshness of the unpeeled potato at the same time. Fenmarc has made a subdivision of five segments. ‘Small and Sweet’ are baby potatoes which look good, taste good and can be used in various different ways: from salads to baby potatoes fried in their skins. Then there is ‘Easy Peasy’, nicelooking, nice-tasting potatoes that are quickly ready. In ‘Organic’ are the organically-grown spuds that have a good taste and have a wide range of uses in the kitchen (from boiling to frying) and they look good as well. Unique and exotic potatoes are found in the ‘Unearthed Treasures’ bags. For Fenmarc, this means firm potatoes with a two-coloured skin such as the red/white Rudolph, for example. You should be able to fry them nicely in their skins so that the unique colour can also be enjoyed on a plate. And for the leaner purse, there were bags with ‘Every-Day Favourites’. They include the ‘lots for little’ potatoes such as the King Edwards and Whites, varieties that can be used for every purpose in the English kitchen. Each bag with The Very Very Veg Co products boasts recipes and tips for storage and preparation. And, naturally, there is also a website with information for the modern consumer: www.vvvegco.biz Complete ethylene units for sale at Biofresh The name Biofresh above a busy stand at British Potato may be an indication that this is a company that sells fresh organic produce. However, this is not the case. Biofresh manufactures storage equipment that helps keep foods such as potatoes fresh. One of these is the Ethylene Management Unit (EMU). What we see here is a complete installation for the application of ethylene in potato storage. It cannot be compared to systems as we know them, such as Restrain. Both the application and the usage are different. For Restrain, you rent the apparatus, which is also maintained by the rental company. The farmer can buy the Biofresh apparatus and the ethylene cylinders. A complete EMU for 1 storage area costs € 19,530 and an EMU for a maximum of 4 storage units costs € 41,730. The apparatus is a steel construction that can be moved by a forklift. It consists of a steel unit in which the ethylene cylinders are neatly placed and linked, and a control device, which distributes the correct dosage. To be able to distribute the correct amount to all corners of the storage area, the EMU uses both a ventilator and a special ethylene distributor. The control device can be wirelessly connected to computers and/ or mobile phones for adjusting the dosage, checking the data or receiving warning signals. Immediately available phosphate from Avail Practically everyone these days knows that the phosphate in many common artificial fertilisers is seldom 100 percent accessible for the plant, which is why there are now also phosphate fertilisers that are accessible for the crops immediately after application. Avail fertiliser is winning popularity in Great Britain. This product is manufactured by the American SFP company (Sanders Fertiliser Products) in Kansas. You can read which other fertilisers this company manufactures on its internet site www.sfp.com. Avail is on their list and is described as a fertiliser that can be applied to a wide range of crops. As a result of the fact that the Avail phosphate does not fixate in the soil, the plant can benefit from it straightaway. The result is better root growth and ultimately higher yields. According to the SFP figures, root development is 10 to 15 percent higher than with the currently much-used granule fertilisers. The most experience with Avail in Great Britain has been obtained with carrots. In this crop, a yield increase of up to 20 percent has been achieved. 20 Potato World 2010 • number 2 Pagina 19
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