Potato World vision PW-ACTUA The new farmers Last year, we told our customers that the Agrifac growers are going to help produce 50 percent more yield with 50 percent less crop protection. That seemed like a fairy tale then. At any rate for the customer, but not for us because, at that time, we were already in the middle of developing new spraying systems. We’ll soon go into the field for the first practical tests on spraying with no fewer than 40,000 possible doses per hectare. The future is sometimes nearer than you would think! My idea is that the farmer of the future should go back to the origins of farming: the personal inspection of every single plant. Data from sensors, satellites, yields, historical maps are making this possible. They provide practical information, combined with the farmer’s own knowledge and experience, to produce more with less. The possibilities for controlling the crop and increasing the operating profits are unprecedented for those that farm in the old way with this new knowledge. The work of the farmer is changing, the tractor will do its rounds on its own in the future. The farmer of the future will be a data analyst, who goes into his field with boots and a spade, test equipment and the smart phone in his hand. This is precision farming in 2016: measuring at plant level and using data to provide each plant with what it needs. The current practice, however, is that we average all the data so that not much is left of the available information. And we also present this data as hard facts. We also see that many GPS systems are fantastic in making wonderful pictures but they don’t fit the reality. And that’s why I urgently appeal to all farmers to become curious again and figure things out for yourselves. It’s high time for the first data cooperation without any commercial interest. Because every farmer wants to earn a good living by producing excellent, healthy and safe food. With all the new technologies, available information and your curiosity, we’ll be heading for a wonderful adventurous period. We’re ready for it, are you? Peter Millenaar CEO Agrifac Machinery B.V. Logistic centres as a key to success in self-sufficiency in Russia After the sanctions of the European Union towards Russia and the subsequent boycott of Russia on potatoes, vegetables and fruits import from the EU, Russia’s focus on self-sufficiency has grown. State programs have been released to support the agricultural sector. These programs focus on improving quality and increasing yields of agricultural produce, to be able to feed Russia’s population with domestic grown potatoes, fruits and vegetables. It takes time to realize such ambitious growth plans for a country that relied for decades on imported foods for a substantial share. But time is of the essence for Russia and its 140 million+ population. Therefore, Russia realized that without support on technical and technological know-how, the ambition to be self-sufficient wouldn’t be realistic. Subsidies are granted to stimulate Russian companies to invest in technology that contributes to increase the Russian production of potatoes, vegetables and fruits. Companies like APH Group, a well-known supplier of field-, irrigation-, instore and processing machinery, supplied many Russian companies and farms with western technology to increase their yields. The Dutch have a good name in (technology for) growing potatoes and vegetables, which makes Russian clients hungry for professional equipment and technology from Holland. Russia invest in logistics centres to feed its population and to rely less and less on produce from EU. New state programs On the other hand, Russia understands that it will never be fully self-sufficient in years with difficult and challenging growing conditions. To be able to deal with such years, new state programs are launched to set up logistic centres, as Russian state calls them. In these logistic centres, potatoes and vegetables are stored with ventilation and cooling equipment and processed for retail market. By implementing such centres in key areas in Russia, produce grown in large production areas in Russia and former CIS states can be packed and supplied to supermarkets all over the country. At this moment, APH Group Instore solutions and Engineering have multiple pending projects for such logistic centres. Dutch knowledge about storage technology and weighing and packing solutions is used to build hyper modern and efficient logistic centres. ● Potato World 2016 • number 4 11 Pagina 10
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