TRADE AND MARKET I NG British entrepreneur opts for cultivation specialisation Increasing yield further As one of the seven WCM members, Soanes has very good soil to grow table and seed potatoes. ‘I started to grow seed potatoes ten years ago, which is already before WCM was set up. We have around 1,200 hectares of our own land, half of which is very suitable for the cultivation of seed potatoes. It’s relatively easy-to-work, firm, loamy, sandylime soil, which is free-draining. In addition, the soil is completely free of nematodes. The location of the plots, not far from the coast, and a favourable climate, is also a guarantee for a very low incidence of aphids. In recent years, the average yield has been between 20 to 25 tons per hectare. ‘That’s not particularly high, certainly not when you compare this with the excellent growing areas in the Netherlands and Scotland’, Soanes realises. And yet, he expects to be able to improve his yields quite a bit with new, higher-yielding varieties that suit the climate and the type of soil. The number of hectares of seed potatoes also still has considerable growth potential’, Soanes says. Eventually, he and his fellow seed potato growers hope to have the cultivation in the Yorkshire Wolds on the same level as the growers in Scotland or hopefully even higher. With a cost price of 6,250 euros per hectare, the kilogram price will be 25 eurocents. If the yield can be increased, the cost price will go down, and the competitive position of the business will have strengthened. Certainly in combination with the much higher British pound in relation to the FARM DETAILS OF T. SOANES & SON More than 35 years ago, Andrew Soanes joined his father Clive in the T. Soanes & Son farm business. The total area of the crop farm in Middleton-on-the-Wolds was no more than 25 hectares in those days. Over the years, the business has bought many more hectares, and the total area is now 1,250 hectares. The fields are all situated in hilly landscape. About half the acreage is very suitable for the cultivation of potatoes, the other half (very stony) is only good for growing cereals. In addition to his crop farm, T. Soanes & Son also has a poultry farm on the edge of the village of Middleton and two other farms in Beverly and Wetwang. The poultry farm (95,000 fattening poultry a year) has been an important activity for the Soanes family for many generations. The poultry farm employs a total of 21 people and the crop farm 14. Apart from seed for the suppliers of WCM, the farmer also grows varieties for export. Egypt is an important customer. euro, it’s definitely a challenge for the British farmers to be competitive in the international seed potato trade. Leasing is attractive ‘It’s not so much the availability of good soil that slows down development, but the shortage of storage space’, says Soanes. In recent years, the entrepreneur has already invested enormously in new storage space. The new shed with mechanical cooling and the grading shed and the machinery have, together, cost over one million pound sterling. And yet, he still expects to gradually continue to invest in storage. Leasing is a less attractive alternative. Until he could use his new sheds, the Brit leased about 3,000 tons of storage space from third parties. This cost him 100,000 British pounds every year. Moreover, he couldn’t keep track of his potatoes so well and he also had to pay extra transportation costs. As regards the sale of consumption potatoes through WCM, about half the product is produced on contract at a fixed price. The other half is sold at prices that are in force at the time of delivery. The contract price for this season has been set at 18.76 euros per 100 kilograms. This isn’t bad if you look at the current free-market prices because, in November, they were virtually the same as the contract price. It also depends a lot on the variety. Soanes tells us that a variety such as King Edward at that moment would sell for at least 25 euros per 100 kilogram on the free market. ● Leo Hanse Potato World 2016 • number 4 29 Pagina 28
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