Potato World vision PW-ACTUA Give storage the attention it deserves! In agricultural research and development, we are now working hard on optimising potato cultivation by means of location-specific processing, planting and fertiliser application and crop protection, based on data collected by, for example, drones. Wonderful initiatives that should ultimately contribute to a higher return for the grower. Especially after a growing season like this year, we have both feet firmly on the ground again. Everyone has found that the 4 to 5 months that the growing season lasts are decisive for how full the storehouse will eventually be. In some cases, however, the storage period will be up to three times longer than the cultivation period. Carefullygrown potatoes therefore deserve at least as much attention in storage as during cultivation. Fortunately, research has made us a world pioneer in this field. It has mainly helped us to maintain sufficient control of the storage process in years where there was rot and abnormal growth. Knowledge and technology have helped ensure that good quality and healthy potatoes are often sold at good prices. As in cultivation, new steps have also been taken in storage. While the GPS control system has become commonplace in cultivation, the storage computer has become the same for storage. There are also many new techniques available for storage that are still only used by a small group of growers. The storage computer can measure weight losses in real time and compare storage strategies. The weather forecast is already integrated in the control of ventilation and mechanical cooling. Track & trace systems on the forklift truck provide instant insight into stocks, and every operation for each box is automatically recorded. In the not too distant future, it will be possible to use this (big) data to plan the storage period in such a way that it becomes clear in advance what influence the chosen storage strategy will have on the ultimate financial return. My question to the grower now is: how far have you got with precision farming for storage? Jan van Maldegem Product Manager Tolsma-Grisnich Recently, DCA-Markets from the Dutch town of Lelystad created the PAT Index. The aim is to set a clearer trend in price formation, explains DCA-Markets’ René van t’ Riet. The source information for the Index comes from the Potato Transactions Platform (PAT), which is supervised by the Arable Sector Organi sa tion. The Index shows all transactions with a volume of more than 50 tons carried out, for the time being, by the Dutch processing industry. ‘The platform only provides an overview of the transactions made. What it does not do is give an average picture and that’s what we want to achieve with the Index. The Index is up-todate and is calculated continuously, based on transactions over the past seven days’, Van t’ Riet explains. ‘You have to deal with differences in the volume of varieties and the various grades. By bringing all these factors into an index, you get a better picture of how the market price is doing. That gives growers with a free product a practical tool to sell their produce based on the value.’ The PAT Index is an additional decision-making tool, for example, as a a compliment to the PotatoNL quotations, Van t’ Riet explains. Added together, you’ll get a more reliable picture of what customers such as those in trade and industry are offering in a specific period for French-fry potatoes. ‘Our PAT Index includes potatoes suitable for French fries up to 40 millimetres, delivered directly within one month. For subsequent deliveries, we’ll deduct 15 eurocents per 100 kilograms per week. This is for the extra storage costs. The first DCA-PAT Index figure was published at the end of November, which at that time stood at 29 eurocents per 100 kilograms.’ According to Van ‘t Riet, the launch of the Index is in line with DCA’s strategy to interpret market prices as fairly as possible. ‘You have fewer and fewer players – among producers and customers – in an ever-expanding market in terms of volume, which requires the monitoring of transparency. Also because large positions are often settled on a different quotation basis. With the Index, we think we can make a positive contribution to that.’ The PAT Index can be consulted free-of-charge after completing some contact details via the website www.boerenbusiness.nl. ● DCA-Markets creates PAT Index Potato World 2019 • number 1 9 Pagina 8
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