Potato Council set to grow industry engagement

At British Potato 2011, the Potato Council presented its new business plan, with a strong focus on creating value for potato farmers and supply chain.

Potato Council is charting the course for levy payers to have long-term success in the potato industry, wherever they are in the supply chain.

In the 2012-15 corporate divisional plan, the board has renewed its pledge to direct levy and other funding towards potato growing, processing, corporate affairs and marketing.

“The aims of the council are to continue to provide growers and supply chains with robust, reliable and timely facts that assist levy payers to make informed - and potentially more profitable – choices,” explains Potato Council director Dr Rob Clayton.

“We have instigated cost-benefit analysis across all platforms and this will help evaluate the usefulness of key activities undertaken by Potato Council, quantifying the impact of work undertaken on marketable yield, costs of production and marketing. The aim is to capture cost-benefits across a number of years to assess the long-term benefits and contribution to sustainability within the industry,” continues Dr Clayton.

“We are pledged to continue helping our levy payers by spending over a quarter of our income promoting and sustaining consumer demand for potatoes through retail and food service outlets.”

To sustain the market, Potato Council marketing activities will continue to focus on showing how versatile and healthy potatoes are and encouraging younger people to proactively choose them as part of their regular meal solution. In addition, work continues to promote the potato’s nutritional benefits and food security credentials to stakeholders raising awareness about the importance of the potato.

Potato Council work is based on evidence from research, to give insight to campaigns and projects. A new cross-sector research advice service run in conjunction with Potato Council, AHDB and the Oxford Partnership is on offer to help levy payers gain valuable insight for their business, this will be launched at BP2011. At the same time, effective marketing campaigns that help promote and sustain demand for potatoes continue to be undertaken by the marketing team. More than 13,000 schools participated in the ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ project in 2011 (60% of primary schools). New projects unveiled this year included, ‘Cook Your Own Potatoes’ which extends educational work into secondary schools and an AHDB cross-sector joint education strategy, as well as, ‘Make more of Potatoes’ advertising campaign and the second phase of the EU part-funded campaign ‘Many Faces of Potatoes’.

With a new, more use-friendly website in place, Potato Council is now well positioned to help levy-payers achieve sustainable, profitable business through the use of new knowledge transfer initiatives that will help to make a difference on-farm and in-store. “In addition, we are increasing our practical potato days so that every levy-payer has the opportunity to come to at least three. We have invested in a range of new digital tools that are quick and easy to access and use, such as videos and podcasts for those unable to attend so they can still keep up-to-date with the latest advances,” says Dr Clayton.

“The potato industry’s needs are driven by optimising inputs and plant health, in addition to responding to new regulation, energy saving and soil, water and pesticide use. Our producers face ever-increasing challenges, which is why we are investing nearly 40 per cent of our funds in front-line R&D and knowledge transfer. Levy-funded trials are now covering a wider range of issues, including seed management and health, blackheart, alternative sprout suppressant and energy use.

“Furthermore, Potato Council will continue to enhance linkages with science centres, industry and across the AHDB to develop key services to support industry needs. In addition, we will support trade associations to create the industry voice to meet and manage environmental and regulatory requirements and help raise the skills base,” adds Dr Clayton. "We consider it vital that key stakeholders understand both the nutritional qualities and sustainability credentials of the potato. We are examining practical solutions to growing consumer concerns such as carbon footprints and food miles, waste, sustainable sourcing and water management.

“We firmly believe sustainability and profitability go hand-in-hand. Solutions that protect the environment are more profitable and good business practice both for now and the future. At the same time, they allow us to deliver on our responsibility to the wider community, a key component of our purpose as an industry.

“Furthermore, potatoes are a healthy source of vitamins B6 and C, are fat free and make a significant contribution to a healthy diet.”

Keen to expand engagement with levy-payers, Potato Council has brought in new members to all of its committees who add to the skillset, covering all aspects of the potato business.

“Not only has Potato Council honoured the pledges it made last year, we have made levy-payers’ money go further through efficiency savings, by attracting match-funding and through the development of trade sponsorships and partnerships to help us maximise delivery of our messages. A quiet revolution has taken place that has taken us from looking at outputs to monitoring outcomes.

To attain their objectives, Potato Council is seeking to increase the levy by three per cent, as the third instalment of three rises approved in 2009.

Dr Clayton explains: “The levy rise would offer a stronger platform for Potato Council to work from, helping our levy payers create profitable, sustainable businesses. If inflationary increases had been applied over the eight years up to 2011-12, it would have been 23 per cent higher in 2011.”

We recognise that the challenges our industry faces, such as plant health, continue to mount in an environment where achieving match funding is becoming tougher. Our proposed increase in levy rate would put us on the front foot to meet these challenges. We plan to continue to nurture these joint ventures under the new corporate business plan.”

Details of the plan with a comprehensive explanation of proposals for the next three years have been published on the Potato Council and AHDB websites.

Seed and ware grower Edward Lindley, a member of Wholecrop Marketing, endorses work undertaken by Potato Council to assist growers. “I recommend anyone storing potatoes to approach Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research for targeted, practical advice so they can minimise their storage costs whilst maximising the quality of stored potatoes,” he says.