TRADE AND MARKET I NG Plantera pays better for its desired seed potato sizes Payment of seed potatoes sizes Bafana 28-35 Number per 100 kilograms Current payout per 100 kilograms Price per 100 tubers New price per 100 kilograms New price per 100 tubers 3.200 1.600 40 30 1,2 70 2,2 1,8 40 2,5 35-45 45-50 50-55 1.000 30 3 25 2,5 800 25 3,1 15 1,8 55+ 400 15 3,7 5 1,2 number of tubers per size. Suppose that the grower now grows more in size 35-45, he’ll also get a 10 percent higher price for a 10 percent higher number of tubers. The price will then increase from 40 cents to 44 cents. For the grower, this will soon mean that, instead of 45 tons, he’ll only have to harvest 30 tons with a higher number of tubers per hectare and still earn 11,000 euros per hectare with fewer costs.’ How are you going to determine the grades? ‘We’re now discussing with the NAK that the inspector will determine the number of tubers of the variety by size during grading. Of course, that will cost money, but it must be done because we want a transparent and independent way of working. Before delivery, the inspector takes samples from the inspected flow of potatoes. After all, it’s important that we know the number of tubers at the moment of delivery. This system is not so bad for the seed potato grower, because the lot shrinks slightly in storage, which means that it increases in value. The inspector then weighs the sample and counts the tubers. This number is added to the NAK’s official inspection report and is the basis for what we pay the farmer. We also communicate these numbers to our customer. I’d also like to include the number of tubers on the certificate, but we haven’t reached that stage yet. We can also take an example from the onion set sector. Of course, it’s a sample and the number of tubers may vary slightly in practice, but that also applies to the other quality characteristics such as the degree of scab and Rhizoctonia on the seed.’ How did you organise the marketing? ‘In addition to paying the growers, we also use the independent determination by the NAK to settle with our buyers. McCain sees a good market for the Bafana and also wants to pay extra for better quality seed, with a tuber numbers indication. This means that the company also wants to pay more for smaller seed potatoes. In our cultivation advice, we propose that the seed stored with our growers should no longer be kept in a cold store. The French-fry potato grower gets a physiologically-better product. We also want the seed potatoes to be at least a hundred days out of the ground before grading them. This means that the tubers are better hardened off and are less susceptible to all kinds of diseases. As a result of this tuber approach, there will be less transportation to the customer, because 30 tons of seed now contains many more tubers. This means that the consumption potato grower can plant more hectares with the same kilogram quantity of seed. I don’t see the trade shifting towards ordering numbers of tubers, because a bulky product like potatoes still involves many kilo-driven costs, such as transport that have a big influence on the price. So we’ll continue to trade in kilograms, whereby the number of tubers per 100 kilograms becomes a sales condition. Another strong point is that the French-fry potato growers will receive physiologically-older seed in the spring, as a result of which they won’t have so many vitality problems in their crops. The consumption grower doesn’t need to plant more or less seed at the end of his plot to get his field ‘full’, because the number of ‘McCain also wants to pay extra for better quality seed potatoes.’ tubers he receives are known. This in turn improves the quality of the end product. I therefore expect other trading companies to start applying this system as soon as possible. Where will Plantera be in five years’ time? ‘This year, we’ll start growing 300 hectares of seed, because we’ll be adding the Bafana variety. This means that we’ll be trading 9,000 tons of seed potatoes and 5,000 tons of consumption potatoes. We now export to twenty countries and have licence cultivation in seven countries. To further expand the variety, we’ve planted 3 hectares of trial fields at Jeroen’s farm at Wieringermeer. We’re now building a greenhouse there where we can make crossings and raise seedlings ourselves. If all goes according to plan, our current 4 FTEs will double in 5 years’ time and we’ll achieve 15,000 tons of seed potatoes per year, spread over the different segments. We’ll then have good representatives in every country where we’re active. ● Jaap Delleman Potato World 2018 • number 3 7 Pagina 6

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