CULTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY Digitalisation of the Dutch General Inspection Service for Agricultural Seed and Seed Potatoes (NAK) requires choices from the sector TEST WITH DIGITAL REGISTRATION This year, the NAK is starting a pilot under which every inspector supervises three growers with their digital registrations. At this moment, we are in the process of completing the program. Hommes shows that this working procedure resembles the NAK service point. User-friendly and straightforward. With this small-scale type of introduction, response is immediate and this makes it possible for the NAK to make the program quickly accessible for all growers. It is, however, a race against the clock for the NAK to have all the data processed after the first field inspection. By making registration digital, as happens with your tax return, you can fill out a lot of the details in advance and make your registration final the moment that all the data is available. One click on the button and all information is at the NAK. If the project is successful, Hommes expects trial users to make other growers enthusiastic, so that it will automatically spread. This working method ensures that an inspector becomes a specialist anyway, which means he can already answer many questions from growers in the phase that follows. ordering of certificates, which is now possible 24/7 by going to the NAK service point, and there is no waiting time. This is so much more efficient than phoning which often causes peak loads with the result that NAK staff can’t process the applications straight away.’ Export inspection with CLIENT As from last season, all seed potato exporters have been working with the digital program CLIENT Export. With this program, the lot assessment and export inspection by the inspector is combined with the ring and brown rot examination results, the post-checks, and the basic data of a lot of seed potatoes. When all the results are available and ready for a certain destination, the boxes on the computer screen turn green and the certificate can be printed and validated. ‘As all this data is in the computer, it could be used in future to carry out excellent analyses about the origin of lots, which could then be used to give additional information to the buyers of seed’, Casteleijn ponders about the extra possibilities of digital information. Unknown is unloved ‘We don’t want to force growers to change over to the digital working method just yet, but what we would like is for participation to increase gradually. Ideally, we would like all growers to have gone digital in approximately three years’ time. The digital NAK service point will then be the central meeting point between the grower, his trading company and the NAK. By placing information on protected pages, it will be possible to make competition-sensitive information available for the target group only. In addition, last years’ results will also be available. If growers would want it, overviews can be published of more than one year. Or comparisons among various businesses. Just about everything is possible, but it comes with a price. Another thing that is important is that the organisation operates efficiently. Take, for example, the deregulation of the requirements for seed potatoes that is currently being discussed in Europe. One of the possible outcomes is that the sector is heading for EU standardisation. This means that individual countries will no longer be allowed to impose additional requirements, which the Dutch seed potato sector is currently doing. This would mean that the NAK would have to carry out fewer inspections to fulfil its task. However, it can guarantee its continued existence by ensuring that it works efficiently. And if things work out differently, the Netherlands keeps the most efficient inspection service, and that is an advantage in a competitive international seed potato market’, says Casteleijn. ● Jaap Delleman Potato World 2011 • number 1 15 Pagina 14

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