TRADE AND MARKET I NG Italy: ideal testing ground for Dutch potato breeding early and that was exactly what the Italian was looking for. It doesn’t produce big tubers, but you can bag it at a very early stage. An excellent variety for a niche market with potential’, says Dijk, which visibly satisfies Könst breeder Bregien van der Maarl. When it comes to improving Italian potato production, they’re also looking to replace a prominent variety such as Agata, a long-term successful Agrico product. Agata past its peak According to Dijk, the variety has had its best years in Italy, 12,000 tons and more a year were sold in the good years. Achieving even more quality and yield was what prompted Provvisiero to start looking for better and his eye fell on Spectra, a result of SW and Lantmännen. The taste is neutral, says Dijk, which is perfect for the Italian market. It’s also notable for its uniform grading, which is better than that of Agata. Dijk mentions many other promising and eye-catching numbers and varieties, but one of them clearly stands out and also comes with a special breeder’s history. It’s a variety from breeder Jan Lucas Spijkman, called Constance. ‘About six or seven years ago, we were looking for a replacement of the Estima baker variety for the British market. The number SA 02-0020 was immediately considered to be the chosen candidate. Big, a nice smooth skin and, according to the tests, also very good in storage. I literally said that I could even send my mother to England with these potatoes, because it’s a variety that could sell itself there. And that was the moment when the market changed. Brexit entered the picture, the sector suddenly took a wait-and-see attitude and started to focus on its own, familiar British varieties again. Fortunately, at that moment, we were also trialling the variety here in Italy, where Provvisiero discovered it and saw the potential. And once they say ‘I see potential’ here, they mean it. So production increased very quickly. Four years ago, we started with 25 tons, the following year we could already do 300 tons, last year 500 tons and this year we’re already close to 1,000 tons. Provvisiero packages them for the more luxury table potato segment. This is now a robust variety that also grows under extreme climate conditions, is received well everywhere and, so far, is the only variety about which we don’t get any negative comments.’ Rhizoctonia is an increasing problem in the Vesuvius area. Grower Marco Trezza (right) is considering carrying out treatment at every possible opportunity: during storage, during planting and during growth. It’s not easy for growers to make money Despite the weather extremes, the yield of a plot of Constance, near Volla, seems to be good. In the centre from left to right, trader Francesco Provvisiero, breeder Jan-Lucas Spijkman and grower Antonio Javino. After a full afternoon with the usual breeders’ jargon about ‘krottenfriet’ (chips cut into squares from big tubers), varieties that can bulk, still have to position themselves, behave robustly, are hard to chew or shine at you, there’s a visit the following day to the packaging station of the Borrelli brothers who work together with a group of growers from the Volla area, near Naples. What catches the eye during a tour around the premises is that a lot of import varieties are still being bagged as a result of the late harvest in the early Italian production areas. It’s also noteworthy that the cooperative of growers is busy advertising. The packaging is more exuberant than used to be the case at family businesses and the lorries also bear the Miss Patate brand name, which stands for potatoes from the Avezzano area, where Provvisiero is also active. Incidentally, these businesses also work together in the agricultural trade. Close to the packager lies a beautiful plot with Constance from grower Antonio Javino. Provvisiero repeats once again that it hasn’t been easy to make money from growing potatoes recently because of the weather extremes and the still relatively high costs. Last year, it was too dry in many places and this year it’s too wet. And problems with diseases are also on the increase with Rhizoctonia being more frequently found. This is Potato World 2018 • number 3 33 Pagina 36
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