TRADE AND MARKETING Starch potato cultivation: make it a contest! Gradual phasing out gives a group of growers the opportunity to hold out.’Bleker prefers to get it over and done with and use the money for the development of innovation, entrepreneurship and alternatives for the region. ‘Serious situations require serious measures. It is not a happy message, but an honest one.’ To maintain perspective, the sector and the region can expect support from the government, according to Bleker. ‘The government has set high stakes on economic innovation. 1.2 billion euros have been made available for innovative projects and investments for nine top sectors, two of which in the agrisector. There will also be funds from the private sector. If the knowledge institutes also start aiming at these top sectors, it must be possible to help some projects in the short term. That will really create opportunities, also for the starch sector’, a confident Bleker said. Avebe invests 45 million At any rate, Avebe is investing heavily, says Bert Jansen, director of Avebe and Chairman of the Board of the cooperative. The plan is to invest 45 million in the current financial year, which started on 1 August. ‘That is substantial. But we have not been investing sufficiently in the past two years and we have just closed a good financial year.’ Avebe also invests in innovations in food manufacturing and in projects aimed at saving energy. ‘These are major investments, but if we can cut the costs of energy, for example, it will be worth it’, says Jansen. He is also hopeful about the investments in functional food. ‘Functional food sounds quite simple, but it is one of biggest challenges in the world to produce food that tastes good and contains fewer calories. Uncouple money from operations management The Chairman of the Board of Avebe sees opportunities for the starch industry to claim public money for the innovative projects and investments Bleker was talking about. ‘The ministry has asked us to propose ideas and plans. This is possible by uncoupling that money from Avebe operations management.’Actually, there is nothing new under the sun, says Jansen. ‘Our growers have been investing in innovation via Avebe for years. Avebe belongs to the farmers. Through its daughter company, Averis, Avebe invests money on behalf of the farmers in variety development, for example, and in entrepreneurship by searching for better yields at lower costs. We can double the amount of green gas in the Netherlands by processing Avebe’s potato pulp. 100 tons per hectare is still far away. According to the regulations of the Commodity Board for Arable Farming (HPA), growers are currently allowed to contract a maximum of 60 tons of potatoes per hectare,’ according to Jansen. ● Harma Drenth GREENSEEKER SPRAY BOOM SEMAGRI STARCH VARIETIES This spray boom has GreenSeekers. These GreenSeekers can measure the amount of green leaf and adjust the quantity of the application of fertiliser. ‘Trialling showed that this system saves 40 to 50 percent of haulm killer’, says Minne Batenburg of Agrometius. The GreenSeeker can also be used for the application of nitrogen, for example. Jarke Kruize of Semagri discusses the starch varieties with two German starch potato growers.Semagri bought the varieties from the Sloots breeding company. ‘100 tons per hectare, starch potato varieties can’t do that yet. But the grower can improve his yield by using good and healthy seed from the best varieties’, says Kruize. Potato World 2011 • number 4 27 Pagina 26
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