Potato World vision To be number 1 is important for the Chinese China will not only be the biggest processor but also the biggest importer of French fries if we are not careful. Fast food is immensely popular. In 2011, KFC and McDonald’s alone had 3,300 and 1,300 restaurants respectively in China, in spite of the very low consumption per capita. With 75 million tons per year, China is the biggest producer of potatoes, but hardly anything is processed into French fries yet. Funnily enough, importing is cheaper than processing in China! Reasons include poor quality seed, antiquated storehouses and limited knowledge of cultivation and processing techniques, as a result of which the yields (on average 15 tons/ha) and the quality are low. Meanwhile, a new Dutch ten-ton chip line has been delivered and businesses are ready to start making French fries in China. If they want to succeed, they not only need first-rate Dutch machinery technology, but also knowledge about seed potatoes and potato cultivation. The Chinese are well aware of this and, at the invitation of the “Orange Potato Consortium” (the long-term programme to promote the Dutch potato sector in China), various business delegations recently visited the Netherlands to get to know and understand our chain approach. To be number 1 is important for the Chinese. Together with Belgium, the Netherlands exports 3 million tons of potato products. In addition to 70 percent of the seed potato export, the Netherlands also exports over 50 percent of the potato technology in the world. We like to promote this image so that potatoes and the Netherlands are mentioned in one and the same breath. At this moment, China is still only the number 1 producer of potatoes in the world, but it has the ambition also to become the biggest processor. It cannot do this without the help of the Netherlands. Local branches in China, the promotion of our special approach and the support of the Dutch business sector help to realise this ambition and at the same time to expand our own market share in China. Otherwise China will remain an importing country for the foreseeable future! Fulco M. Wijdooge 富君豪 Chief Representative of the GMV Office (Industry and Trade Organisation of Manufacturers of Machinery for the Food Industry and Packaging Machinery) and the Dutch Potato Center in China PW-ACTUA World Potato Congress programme is shaping up Board van WPC met vlnr Dave Thompson, John Coady, Allan Stevenson, Allan parker, Mark Prentice, Romain Cools en Ghislain Pelletier presenteren internationaal programma. From 27 to 30 May 2012, the international World Potato Congress (WPC) will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland. The WPC theme is Think Global, Win Local. Mr Rob Clayton of the World Potato Congress has already succeeded in engaging a few interesting speakers on this subject including Dr Qu Dongyu, Chairman of the Chinese Potato Organisation (CAO). The list of authoritative speakers at WPC 2012 is growing. A recent acceptance to attend comes from Dr Qu Dongyu of the Chinese Potato Organisation. China is the largest potato country in the world with acreages of more than 5 million hectares. Besides being Chairman of the CAO, Qu is also vice-governor of Ningxia Hui Province. Director of the Potato Council Rob Clayton is pleased that he has managed to recruit Dongyu to address his congress. The Chinese potato man will also speak on the Think Global, Win Local theme. In his speech, he will address the food supply in China for the coming years. Besides being the most influential Chinese person in the area of potatoes, Qu is also a specialist in the area of food safety. Bear in mind that China currently grows 25 percent of the total potato crop, consumption and starch included, Clayton says. Other well-known speakers who will also talk about Think Global, Win Local are Professor John Beddington, government advisor to the British Government in the domain of scientific research, Professor Anton Haverkort, scientist at Plant Research International in Wageningen (NL) and Dr Glenn Bryan, researcher at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland. In addition to the transfer of knowledge, meeting and greeting is also an important congress component. For this purpose, the organisation promises to organise a few interesting events. More information can be found on the website: www.wpc2012.net. ● Potato World 2012 • number 1 7 Pagina 6
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