REPORT SEVEN BROTHERS GOOD FOR 15,000 TONS OF WASHED POTATOES The price of the New Zealand table potatoes is based on supply and demand. That’s why potato grower Kevin Balle from Balle Brothers has to make many phone calls to get the highest possible price. During a visit to his company, the price for the best washed table potatoes was about 600 NZ dollars per ton (± 250 euros per ton). ’This means that we must achieve the highest possible kg yield to make the crop economically profitable’, emphasises Balle. Balle Brothers is a partnership of seven brothers who grow potatoes in all regions of New Zealand. They once started together in Bombay – Pukekohe, which is still the company’s home base. In total, the Brothers grow 2,000 hectares of potatoes for the table potato market, the processing industry and also for the export market. The Balle Brothers also have a large share in the MrChips chips plant, through which Simplot has ensured that a large section of the potato supply goes to the new factory building in Canterbury. Moreover, Balle recently invested in a new packaging line with Newtec weighing machines. The reason for this purchase is that the Progressive supermarket chain is looking for more partners that can package potatoes. Up to now, Balle has delivered around 15,000 tons of washed potatoes every day, but they are able to extend very quickly if this should prove necessary. Ron Frew expanded from 36 to 3,000 hectares in 30 years In the mountains, around the town of Ohakune, in the centre of the North Island, there is more important table potato country. The region owes its fertility to the volcanic activity of the Ruapehu mountain. Less than ten years ago, this volcano spread fresh ashes over the area and a big plume over the mountain was visible that entire summer. The excellent taste of the potatoes from this region are the result of the volcanic soil. It is here that Ron Frew (67) farms, and, during the 30 or more years that he has been here, he has been able to expand his business from 36 hectares to no less than 3,000 hectares. Frew prefers the Maoris, the original inhabitants of New Zealand, who own 60,000 hectares in the environs of Ohekune. Fight for good soi l ‘The Ohakune potatoes are not very early, but they are much better in taste and look than those from other New Zealand regions’ , Frew explains. That’s why he is eagerly looking for an early variety that can be marketed at the same time as the early area of Pukekohe. This new variety is Swift and he has already had good experiences with it. The fight for good soil in Ohakune is now at its height. Farms from the Pukekohe region such as Wilcox and the Balle brothers are moving to the south fast so that they can also start growing potatoes there. The result is obviously that the price is going up. ‘This year, however, the price dropped a little because the price of milk on the world market has collapsed. ’ Last year, however, ‘We must obtain the highest possible kg yield to make the crop economically profitable’, emphasises Kevin Balle to grow his table potatoes on virgin soil. ‘It will give you the highest yield and the best quality’ , is his experience. To be able to accomplish this, he also leases land from that price was still sky-high because dairy farmers wanted to expand their businesses quickly. Land prices in New Zealand are currently between 20,000 and 40,000 dollars (between 8,000 and 16,000 euros) a hectare. Frew tells us that he bought his land for 500 dollars per hectare back in the sixties. He can now lease out his best land for 1,500 ‘The Ohakune potatoes are not early, but they are much better in taste and look than those from other New Zealand regions’, Ron Frew explains 32 Potato World 2009 • number 4 Pagina 31
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