Growing sweet potatoes in the Netherlands? Yields must improve to make it profitable

Five years ago, Mts. Koenraadt-Heerink started growing sweet potatoes on a trial basis in the Netherlands. Over the years, the acreage has grown from less than one to three, 12, and this year, 20.5 hectares. Although Thijs Koenraadt says he has not yet earned anything from this, demand for these locally-grown sweet potatoes has noticeably increased.

Thijs Koenraadt:
 

"That's why we continue to see a future in it. But, small-scale cultivation isn't feasible. Last year's acreage yielded 40 to 45 gross tons per hectare. But we need more than that to cover costs. Cost-wise, even if destined for the french fries industry, it's an expensive crop to grow. Because of pricey planting materials, it's even costlier to cultivate for the fresh market."

Some of Thijs' sweet potatoes are under contract, and he sells the rest to the fresh market. The grower, his parents, and his brother are partners in a 160-hectare farm. He cultivates his sweet potatoes under biodegradable film.

Thijs Koenraadt:
 

"Compared to other Dutch growers, we grow on relatively heavy soil. We've noticed that benefits post-storage quality."

Most of the sweet potatoes he grows during the season are of the Bellevue variety (12 hectares). The Covington (7,5 hectares) and Beauregard (1 hectare) varieties follow.

Thijs Koenraadt:
 

"Bellevue is the best variety for the fresh market. The shape is very important for retail. The sweet potatoes shouldn't, for instance, be too long. They must have a nice shape. The industry isn't as concerned about that. Bellevues also store very well. We still have some of these in storage as a trial, and they're fine. Supplying year-round Dutch sweet potatoes isn't a problem."

New supply chains

Thijs Koenraadt:
 

"We're not worried about sales. Demand for Dutch-grown sweet potatoes is increasing. Competition from North American sweet potatoes is manageable. It's quite expensive to get those potatoes to Europe."

"We have more competition from Egypt. It is becoming more difficult to use the industry as a backup. The industry is leaning more and more toward Covington, which has a much higher dry matter content. It's becoming harder to sell Bellevue Class II's to the industry."

There are plenty of other challenges, too, like damage-free grubbing. But since it is a relatively new crop, it has been a matter of trial and error.

Thijs Koenraadt:
 

"We had to figure out a lot ourselves. We exchange experiences with several other experienced growers, but we're not going to help new growers get started. We've spent too much money, and it's been a steep learning curve."

"Achieving higher yields while maintaining quality is our biggest challenge. We hope to get a return from sweet potato cultivation on larger acreage. You barely break even with 40 tons per hectare, but you can with 50 tons."

"Increasing sales prices is another way to make the crop more profitable. But competition from imported sweet potatoes keeps that challenging."

He does not yet grow purple sweet potatoes.

Thijs Koenraadt:
 

"A supermarket requested we grow these for Christmas in the current growing season. But they reached out toward the end of the season when we'd already ordered the planting material. It's also quite a lot of work for a small volume."

"If there's a structural increase in demand for purple sweet potatoes, it could become more attractive. Although purple sweet potatoes yield less per hectare, people are prepared to pay hefty prices for them."

New washing line

For the coming season, Mts. Koenraadt-Heerink has invested in a new washing line from a regional supplier.

Thijs Koenraadt:
 

"It will be installed in October. We're moving towards an entirely different washing concept, which gets the sweet potatoes spotless without damaging them. During testing, we found that this method greatly improves the washed sweet potatoes' storability."

"We're also developing our own fresh market brand. We keep investing and, eventually, we'll succeed in growing Dutch sweet potatoes profitably."