Surfing the British Potato CULTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY 80 percent of the potato yield with 10 percent of the big growers Do you happen to know potato growers who collaborate? When you ask British farmers that question unofficially, most will answer that they do not really know of collaboration among growers. However, there is collaboration, as was shown by the presence of, among others, of Mercain UK. This is a partnership of five crop farmers who jointly cultivate and market 100,000 tons of crisp potatoes. One of the varieties they grow is Lady Rosetta, which they supply to various potato crisp manufacturers such as Walkers, LPP, Largo Foods, Taylo and Kolak. Companies such as those mentioned above belong – according to the British Potato Council – to the 10 percent (of 3,000) of big growers who together are responsible for 80 percent of the total potato market in the United Kingdom. They also include trading companies with 1000 or more hectares of homegrown potatoes, such as David Higgens’ company. His company recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and this was repeated again at British Potato, with golden balloons and champaign bottles in the stand. Interior control with X-ray scanner An increasing number of potato processors and potato packagers want to inspect not only the outside but also the inside quality of the potatoes. And, if possible, by machine. Up to now, quality control has only been visual, but machines are slowly and steadily appearing on the market that can look right through the potato. One of those newcomers was on show in the Herbert stand. It is an X-ray scanner with which, for example, one can check a batch of potatoes for the presence or absence of hollow hearts. At British Potato, the machine was seen as a stand-alone, but according to Herbert – the exact date was not yet known at British Potato – it is Herbert’s intention to build the X-ray scanner into the electronic grading machines that the British manufacturer provides. Dutch lifting technique with British cleaning unit Ploeger is also one of the Dutch machinery manufacturers who knows that the British have their own way of doing things. Among other things, Ploeger won the order from a farmer, who grows 1000 hectares of potatoes, to make a three-row self-prOpelled lifter on caterpillar treads. They liked Ploeger’s standard technology used in their lifters, but they also very much wanted to see some British technology put into the machine. An example of that is the mounting of two Evolution Separators made by Scott. This is a cleaning unit that is able to remove clods, haulm and weeds from the harvested crop with a minimum of tuber damage. This Evolution Separator is, in fact, also available in the Netherlands at Steenvorden Constructie in Breezand. Potato World 2010 • number 2 19 Pagina 18
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