"Chinese government wants potato cultivation"

Potatoes are in the spotlight. At the Wageningen Campus recently, the first potatoes grown in Martian and lunar soil from NASA were harvested and eaten, making the film The Martian a little more realistic. State Secretary Martijn van Dam was in Kenya and Tanzania to further promote the ‘smart’ Dutch potato. And the annual chip test of newspaper AD always attracts a great deal of attention. Jan de Ruyter, manager Vegetable Sectors of ABN Amro, gives his vision of the latest developments and shares recommendations for entrepreneurs in this sector.

Peter Scholliers, professor of Social & Cultural Food Studies at the Free University of Brussels, makes potatoes even more important: “Without the potato, we would not have been here today. We should be thankful to Columbus for deciding to introduce the plant to Europe. The potato fed the entire working class at a low cost. Besides, potatoes changed the traditional diet in the low countries, which was based on rye and wheat. The cheap calories from potatoes cost far less working power.”

The Chinese government has also recognised that the nutritional value of potatoes is much higher than that of rice and corn, and that the environmental impact is far lower. Potatoes need less water, and can also be cultivated on slightly brackish soil. A campaign should be devised to stimulate consumption, because it will be a challenge to change the eating habits of the Chinese. The versatility of the potato means more and more entrepreneurs, companies and governments are falling under their spell. The iron position of the Dutch potato sector has known many challenges in the fields of environment and quality, in addition to its many successes. 

In recent years, the sector invested significantly in making production more sustainable and in improving quality. By doing so, the Dutch cultivation is a leader in the world of potatoes. The Dutch sector is under a magnifying glass, and is often associated with pollution and waste. Europe does not have a level playing field regarding legislation and rules. If Dutch potato cultivators are not able to earn a decent living, or to innovate and become more sustainable, the sector will gradually leave the Netherlands. The Netherlands will then have to import products, meaning an even higher environmental impact. Besides, costs to maintain the landscape will increase and knowledge will disappear.

The cultivation can also play a part in solving the manure problem from intensive cattle breeding. They can use this to improve soil conditions, and upgrade the value of manure from waste to a valued commodity. The sector has a strong position in Northwest Europe, with good entrepreneurs and a strong chain. Unfortunately, returns for cultivators are often under pressure. There are plenty of opportunities to improve returns, and thus to continue investing in sustainability and innovation.