CU LTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY the field without any experience is no easy task. As a marketing strategy, Delcourt immediately opted to contract 35 tons of potatoes per hectare with its customer. For the potatoes that he’ll deliver in June, he’ll receive 15 to 15.50 euros per 100 kilograms, which the processor will pay after 45 days. ‘Next year, this will be 17 to 18 euros per 100 kilograms’, says Delcourt about the latest arrangements. The average hectare yield in 2018 was 43 tons per hectare. This is 4 tons more than the average for the whole of Wallonia, according to the Fiwap figures. In ‘normal’ years, the variety achieves an average yield of 58 tons per hectare in Belgium, according to the chain organisation. What is also noticeable in the yard is that a separate weighbridge has been set up. ‘This required an investment of 30,000 euros, but then you know exactly what you’re storing and delivering to your customers and what you’re getting from the growers in the region.’ Monthly quality tracking At the storehouse, which is well constructed with a large roof on the front of the building, Delcourt shows that he can always move potatoes in and out of the storehouse and that in the winter he can store part of the machinery in a dry place. Delcourt quickly walks to the entrance of the storehouse and starts his tour in the unit on the left. What immediately stands out when we enter is the smooth ceiling, because he has chosen to install the 12-centimetre-thick insulation under the rafters. This also prevents the formation of cold bridges. Half of the floor in this unit is equipped with a complete grid and the other half is used for the storage of machinery. The unit on the left is especially suitable for the storage of onion sets. ‘We can dry them after harvesting before they’re delivered to our buyer Ardo in Ardooie. This part of the storage has extra ventilation capacity to allow the onions to dry quickly. After delivering the onions in August and September, we can store the potatoes there in September and October. The other two units have been filled up nice and evenly with potatoes that still feel hard and firm at the end of January. The baking quality, at number 2 is also very good, Delcourt confirms. Every month, the Carah research centre in Ath comes to take samples in the store and determines the baking colour and the underwater weight. The centre has also placed 4 bags of potatoes in each unit to determine the weight loss from the time they were stored until the time they are removed from the storehouse. The sampling by Carah is part of a project that the organisation is carrying out together with Fiwap, with various growers in Wallonia. Carah also takes samples during the growing period, to determine the growth and quality in the growing season. The organisations share this data 25 kilometres away from the current business location. In 2009, the company of his in-laws was added to the list. ‘After that we continued to grow with the cultivation of potatoes by leasing land and buying potatoes from growers in the region. Before the year 2016 we still delivered all our potatoes straight from the farm’, Benoît Delcourt says. So the investment in storage, at around 250 euros per ton, was an enormous step for the family. Suddenly storing 10,000 tons Since 2016, the Belgian potato growers Sylvie and Benoît Delcourt have been storing 10,000 tons of potatoes of the Fontane variety in a modern storage facility in Anseroeul. Potato World 2019 • number 4 37 Pagina 36
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