Potato Review

NEWS ProSort used as part of an existing grading line to sort and clean the incoming crop. The TOMRA 3A system boasts the highest capacity in the market, achieving rates of up to 100 tonnes/hr with an accuracy of 98%. ProSort used in conjunction with the GRIMME RH receiving hopper taking potatoes into store. 21 countries represented atWorld Potato Congress AFTER two years of online meetings owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the European potato community gathered in Dublin (Ireland) for the World Potato Congress to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Europatat. More than 90 delegates from 21 di erent countries participated in the reception held in the Member’s Club of the Royal Dublin Society. Europatat’s members elected a new Board to lead the association for the coming years. Tigran Richter takes up the role of new President, with Domenico Citterio and Heero Gramsma as Vice-president and Treasurer respectively. The new President is the Director of NORIKA, a German potato breeding company present worldwide and member of the Deutscher Karto elhandelsverband e. V. (DKHV), the association of the German potato traders who nominated him as a candidate for the position. He has also been a member of the Advisory Committee of Europatat since 2017 and is the outgoing chairman of Europatat’s Seed Commission. Minister praises innovation IRELAND’S Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has praised the commitment shown by his countrymen’s potato growers over the past few years, saying that no food has left such an indelible mark on the country as the potato crop. In an interviewwith an Irish farming journal, the Minister said the sector is full of growers who are constantly innovating and has become one of the most technically developed in the world. He stated in the interview: “The potato industry, like many others, has undergone changes over the last number of years, but central to the success of our sector has been our commitment to auality and dedication.” The Minister recently launched the World Potato Congress in Dublin. ‘Production could double’ TOTAL production of the potato crop could double over the next 10 years, making a bigger contribution to global food security, according to QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In his keynote presentation to the 11th World Potato Congress (WPC) recently, he said the crop generates income for small-scale producers, o ers a low-fat, high-fibre source of healthy carbohydrates rich in antioxidants and nutrients, and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than other major crops. By focusing on improving yields and making full use of historic potato cultivation areas, worldwide production can be raised to 500 million tonnes in 2025 and 750 million tonnes in 2030, the Director-General said. “Potato will become one of the advantage crops in the global food security system when the yield of other cereal crops is close to the limit,” Qu said. He noted that Asia and Africa are the regions with the fastest growth of potato production, while output is declining in Europe and North America.