Y Skylark brings potato permanently to higher balance New potato initiatives ‘To facilitate growers in this process, they get support from specially-trained advisers from the region’, Heinhuis continues. ‘These are advisers who work at DLV Plant, Agrifirm, CZAV, Van Iperen, Profyto or HLB. Meanwhile, all these companies are also members of the Skylark foundation. Skylark has also spread its wings where the input of the buyers is concerned, Heinhuis tells us. For example, market research was started recently into the cultivation and processing of sustainable chips. It is an initiative of the Royal Hospitality Industry (Koninklijke Horeca Nederland) and Farm Frites, Aviko and LambWeston. Skylark growers will also be part of this study.’ Another sustainable potato initiative with which the foundation has recently become involved is the cultivation and marketing of table potatoes. This project includes the improvement of cultivation and the establishment of a sustainable chain, Anna Zwijnenberg explains as operations coordinator of Skylark. ‘Other parties involved in this project are potato cooperative Agrico, packaging company Landjuweel and Plus supermarkets. The aim is to have sustainably-grown table potatoes on the shelves of Plus supermarkets next year. y Skylark participants hav ving the quality of the soil and the operating results. Soil improvement first The fact that Skylark growers can join such initiatives has of course to do with the experience gained in the domain of sustainable growing in the past ten years. ‘The most remarkable thing is that most of the measures mainly focus on soil improvement’, says Zwijnenburg. That’s not so strange, since the soil is the basis of every single crop. So there are always lots of questions within the groups about issues such as using green manure, soil fertility, organic material balance and new number Pagina 17
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Potatoworld 2013/1 Lees publicatie 27Home