TRADE AND MARKET I NG British entrepreneur opts for cultivation specialisation consumption potatoes ourselves. We grow most of the potatoes for the group here on Wold Dyke Farm. We have a few dozen varieties and we’re continuously looking for better ones that grow best here in the York Wolds.’ As regards the sale of consumption potatoes through WCM, Soanes has put about half the product under contract at a fixed price. men, I can fully focus my business on the cultivation and storage of our seed and consumption potatoes. As an entrepreneur, it’s not possible to know everything about everything’, he laughs meaningfully. ‘Every crop grower grows the potato variety that suits the soil on his land and his business model, he further explains. That could well be crisp, chip, table or seed potatoes. The combined annual production of consumption potatoes of the affiliated growers is approx. 60,000 tons. WCM purchases another 60,000 tons from other growers in the area. The annual quantity of potatoes WCM processes is 15,000 tons and these are all Yorkshireproduced seed potatoes. Since the establishment of WCM, we’ve been trying together to find the most suitable varieties for our crops, which means that we grow varieties that are in demand and that suit our soil. We also grow the seed for the cultivation of Gearing to international requirements Of the 450 hectares of potatoes at the Soanes farm, 250 hectares are used for seed and the remainder for the cultivation of consumption potatoes. Half the seed is grown on his own land and for the other half he leases land from third parties for around 930 to 1000 euros per hectare. It’s much more lucrative to lease than to buy land, Soanes says casually. Not long ago, there was a farm for sale, not too far from here, at a hectare price of 43,500 pounds, which is around 58,000 euros. Apart from seed for the suppliers of WCM, the farmer also grows varieties for export. Egypt is an important customer. Because Egypt has adjusted the requirements during the growing season this year from a maximum size of 60 mm to 55 mm, Soanes has decided to plant the bigger seed on his own land next year. ‘Fortunately, this is possible because the seed is of good quality and of a high category’, Soanes says somewhat relieved. The export trade mainly runs through Caithness Potatoes in Scotland. The inspection and grading equipment comes from Bijlsma Hercules in the Friesian town of Franeker. Soanes explains that they’d bought the Dutch machines because they work very well logistically. Potato World 2016 • number 4 27 Pagina 26
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