On September 6 and 7, the Belgian town of Tournai hosted a big potato spectacle, Potato Europe. This traveling trade show, held in Germany last year, attracted a few thousand visitors. From cultivation to fries, everything in the potato field was represented. The international character of the visitors, from all over the world, was striking. There were people from Australia, India, many European countries, and Asia, in short, all across the globe.
The atmosphere was generally good, though the heat was sometimes intense, making for sticky, clammy, sweaty hands. The temperature inside the tent rose to around 40°C. Topics of conversation in the aisles revolved around seed potato problems, small tubers, growing spurts, high prices, and wondering if there would be enough product. Processors were anxious about that at the beginning of the growing season. But supply problems seem to have been averted.
The engineering firms each had their novelties. The focus was on faster, smarter, more durable, and more compact. Paper is also on the rise in the potato sector, and several paper bag suppliers were present, as were those of optical grading machines. Visar Sorting played a video showing the potato packer, Spriet's impressive factory where several Visar sorters are set up. The Dutch pavilion hosted a reception at the end of the first day, which attracted many people. Next year's Potato Europe will be held in France.
