RE SEARCH ‘Market prices are gradually rising and will continue to do so but, at the same time, the volatility of this process will increase’, Professor Ruud Huirne, Agri & Food Director of Rabobank Nederland, predicts for the coming years. ‘However, innovation continues to be necessary to keep ahead of the competition.’ He recently expressed this view of the future of the potato sector at the fifth anniversary meeting of the Wageningen Potato Centre (WPC) in Utrecht. Professor Martin van Ittersum of Wageningen University, together with the WPC partners, also looked ahead towards the year 2050. He came to the conclusion that ‘the potato is a real contender in the future demand for more food in the world’. ‘F or many years, the Netherlands has had a top position in the world in regard to the export of agricultural products, among which the potato. That’s great, but if you have such a high position it’s particularly important to stay that high or preferably get even higher’, Ruud Huirne made his point. ‘And that’s always been the case thanks to innovation. Until recently, the Marketing Boards were the major boosters. Certainly as far as the research that preceded the innovation was concerned. As these funding sources are now gone, we must focus on the business sector – and that’s you – as suppliers of products and machinery because innovation continues to be necessary to stay at the top.’ ‘There’s still a lot of ground to cover’ on that point according to the banker, which is also the title of his lecture. With a year like the one we’ve just had, that will be an extra challenge, he reckons. ‘We, as a bank, want to keep on supporting you financially, of course. But that needs a healthy basis, naturally. The potato sector has had a few good years but, last year, we’ve all come down to earth again. We’ve just experienced a season with extremely low potato prices. We don’t expect prices to rise a great deal for the coming season because the cropping areas in Northwest Europe have only been slightly reduced. A great many growers have contracted out most of their products. More again this year compared to previous years with prices that are 10 to 15 percent lower than those of the last season. Fortunately, the market is picking up again’, the Rabo top executive points out. to feed a n Potato World 2016 • number 3 Innovation in the Dutch potato sector remains necessary to stay ahead.’ There’s still a lot of ground to cover’, according to Professor Ruud Huirne, Food & Agri Director at Rabobank Nederland. 15 Pagina 14
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