Potato World vision PW-ACTUA Room for innovative breeding! Every grower and farmer knows: that the most important things you work with are the forces of nature. It’s fascinating to see how much progress has been made in recent years in the area of breeding. By using state-of-the-art technology, this can be done much faster and with a more targeted approach than ever before. This is, of course, necessary because we need to feed more mouths and at the same time decrease the environmental impact. For example, new crops could be made more tolerant to pests and diseases or could contain higher nutritional value. With cisgenesis, for example, we could control Phytophthora more successfully and apply up to 80 percent less crop protection chemicals. And yet, left-wing parties in the European Parliament are dead against it, because they think that genetic modification will get in via the back door. Louise Fresco, Chairperson of Wageningen University said the following on this: ‘Broadly stating that you are for or against genetic modification is just as much nonsense as saying that you are for or against motor cars or for or against antibiotics.’ The reason is that a crop does not automatically become genetically-engineered like those that were created twenty years ago. Moreover, the point is how we use new plant species. I saw with my own eyes, during a traineeship in Argentina, that glyphosate-resistant soya beans were planted in enormous quantities and sprayed with glyphosate. It goes without saying that, not much later, they also had resistant weeds. This was waiting to happen, this is what nature does. The thing is to use new, promising applications wisely. As long as there has been crop farming, we’ve been trying to improve agricultural production, especially in the Netherlands. Our breeding sector is one of the most flourishing in the world, and that’s how it should stay. Which is why I’ve vigorously defended the breeders’ exemption in the European Parliament, and I received active support in the end. The following challenge now faces us: there are currently eight new breeding techniques which are under review as either being GMOs or, as far as the technique is concerned, as being normal breeding. Cisgenesis is one of them. I will do my utmost to give innovation a chance and keep Europe and the Netherlands flourishing! ● Jan Huitema Member of the European Parliament for the VVD (Dutch People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy) Boni in a box, a very handy potato duo The Belgian supermarket organisation Colruyt Group recently launched a new and exclusive packaging. This is a handy, re-sealable cardboard box that was designed for the Boni store brand. Hence the name Boni in a box. With this handy packaging, suppliers hope to stop the dropping sales of fresh table potatoes among adult consumers. With the Boni box, the consumer can buy potatoes with two different usage potentials. The potato storage box has several compartments in which 2.5 kilograms of potatoes can be stored. The standard 5-kilogram packaging doesn’t always suit the user habits of the adult consumer group, which is why the potato storage box has been customised for half the amount, Colruyt explains their weight choice. One compartment can hold floury potatoes and the other the firm variant. According to the supermarket giant the box has many advantages. First, it’s re-sealable. The box thus offers optimal protection against green discolouration thanks to minimum light exposure. As a result the potatoes can be stored for a longer period of time. Furthermore, the strong box gives better protection and avoids damage during transport from supermarket to home. The box is also easy to carry, because it’s been provided with a firm grip. In addition, the Boni box fits easily in the store cupboard on account of its compact format. An additional advantage is that the consumer can buy potatoes with two different usage potentials. The consumer will always have a potato on hand for every type of use. And those who need some culinary inspiration can try out the two recipes that are printed on the box: one for floury potato dishes and one for firm potatoes. The recommended retail price of the box is € 5.49. The idea of the Boni box is exclusively Colruyt’s. It’s been designed by the supermarket chain itself in collaboration with the packaging and potato suppliers. ● Potato World 2016 • number 2 7 Pagina 6
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