REPORT You even see the potato on the number plates of the motorcars processor Simplot – which recently acquired 65 percent of the shares from the local crisps manufacturer MrChips – has taken up a plan to start constructing a new plant in Christchurch. If sufficient potatoes are to be grown, the success of these irrigation plans are of extreme importance. It is quite certain at this point that it will take at least another three years before the first potatoes can be processed in this new factory. The cultivation of seed potatoes needs at least several years to develop, according to potato grower Jos van der Klundert. In addition, investment in storage is also necessary, big mechanised cooling installations, for example, is what he told us during our visit to his farm. Van der Klundert is a first generation Dutch farmer and seed potato grower who farms in the district of Darfield. He grows a total of 100 hectares of seed potatoes for the local seed potato merchant Eurogrow. In Canterbury potatoes grow extremely wel l The potato growing area around Christchurch lies east of the Alps; the country is quite flat and is called the Canterbury Plains. The area is very much like the Fens in eastern England, which is confirmed by the many names of English towns and villages. The area also boasts many typically English lunchrooms where the many pea, pie and potato dishes corroborate our supposition. You even see English names on the number plates of the motorcars. Seed potatoes grow extremely well in the fertile soil of Canterbury. Millions of years of erosion and abundant growth of plants and trees have resulted in a layer of fertile soil. These plains were formed at the end of the Ice Age. As the thick layer of land ice melted, the water found its way towards the sea. When the ice had almost completely melted, only the rivers were left. These rivers shifted the sediment and this was blown from the river beds during gales and storms. So, wind and water were both responsible for shifting fertile soil across the land. It is for this reason that you often see these fertile layers directly along the rivers, usually on the southern river banks. In previous centuries, the fertile layers in the woodlands were cleared in many places for animal husbandry and crop farming. Consequently, the soil often contains large numbers of stones, just like in the United Kingdom. 70 tons per hectare It is evident that the soil is fertile and the climate mild from the yields that growers produce. There is a grower in New Zealand, for example, who has the world record cereal harvest with nearly 16.5 tons per hectare. Potatoes also obtain high yields, sometimes as many as 70 tons per hectare. The Alps protect Canterbury against the strong north-westerly winds. Although the dry föhn-like wind in spring causes many crop growers a real headache. The wet north-westerly winds lose a great deal of their moisture in the mountains. What remains is hot dry air that crosses the mountains and extracts lots of water from crops and soil. The result is that, in some potato varieties, the average tuber initiation of fifteen tubers a plant stops at a maximum of eight tubers a plant, we were told by one of the local growers. The rough growth offers good conditions for sheep and beef cattle farming The New Zealand Alps are suppliers of abundant clean, fresh water, to be used in agriculture Psyllid causes headaches Throughout New Zealand, you can hear growers complain about Psyllid, either in their own fields or in fields in the surrounding area. There was even a special session on the subject during the World Potato Congress. In our Potato Diseases book, it says that Psyllid is a phytoplasma, which is a disease and it results in zebra chips. It is a phenomenon that is increasingly found in the United States. It now seems to have reached New Zealand as well. Export in wooden boxes Onions are another important agricultural sector in New Zealand. They are predominantly exported to Great Britain, which is an important export market for this vegetable. What I noticed was that these onions are often transported in wooden boxes. The reason is that buyers – small packaging company Bartlett in Scotland, for example – reuse them to store potatoes. Henry Wilcox tells us that wood is cheap in New Zealand and that their onions surely couldn’t leave the country without a jacket! Potato World 2009 • number 4 27 Pagina 26
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