On 29 September, approximately 300 people from all over the world visited the head office of Bejo in Warmenhuizen, the Netherlands, to participate in the symposium: Beetroot and Celeriac - Taste, Health & Innovation.
Beetroot and celeriac are important crops for the management of Bejo, and they are increasing in popularity worldwide. Martin van der Voort, Sales Director with Bejo: “Beetroot is in the top five of crops in Bejo’s portfolio, and it is a crop that has been cultivated globally for a while already. At the same time, increasingly more focus is being placed on celeriac from the rest of the world.” The most important production area in the world for beetroots is currently Eastern Europe, but other regions, such as South America, are also becoming more important for the crop. Although Western Europe currently produces three times as much celeriac than the rest of the world combined, there is an increasing interest in this versatile and healthy crop on a number of new markets.
The symposium’s audience, consisting of cultivators, agriculturalists, marketing experts and scientists, among others, listened to a great number of presentations. Topics discussed ranged from production and breeding techniques to agronomy and marketing. The participants were divided into two groups for the more technical presentations on crop protection and the production of new strains: one group focused on beetroot (and differently coloured roots), the other on celeriac.
One of the most important challenges for seed improvement companies such as Bejo is adjusting the various requirements for various partners in the chain. For example, cultivators want a good yield, high quality and resistance against diseases and plagues. Packers and processors want products that are constant and easily processed, while retail is more strongly focused on looks. But the consumer decides in the end. Flavour, texture and looks therefore have to remain the biggest priority.
Healthy crops are profitable. Researchers of Bejo’s phytopathology and seed technology teams explained, with the help of agriculturalist Jack van Dorp, the attention given to each stage of the process. From the selection of new parent lines to the eventual quality protection and seed treatments.
Marketing
New ways are being developed to process and market beetroot throughout the world. During a presentation by Dr Dorota Konopacka of the Polish Research Institute of Horticulture, it was emphasised that modern food processing techniques, such as microwave drying and lactic fermentation, improve product quality and offer new possibilities to producers. “Beetroot is seen as a healthy vegetable, and it is,” she emphasises. “It is a great source of folic acid and betaine, substances that contribute to a healthy cardiovascular system.”
New markets are also being developed for celeriac, as was explained by Ireneusz Ruciński, Sales Manager for Bejo in Poland. Celeriac was traditionally mostly sold as a loose vegetable, but is nowadays often found in vegetable packs and a great number of processed products in supermarkets. From pickles, soups and salads to new trends, such as celeriac crisps and chips.
For more information:
Bejo Zaden
Trambaan 1
1749 CZ Warmenhuizen
Postbus 50
1749 ZH Warmenhuizen
T : +31 (0)226 39 61 62
F : +31 (0)226 39 35 04
www.bejo.nl
