Potato Industry expo Interpom 2022 (Themed: Towards Healthy Growth) fully booked

Interpom will take place on 27, 28 & 29 of November and will once again be the ultimate international meeting place in Kortrijk Xpo (Belgium) for all the professionals involved in the potato sector!

No fewer than 315 exhibitors from 15 countries will be there to welcome you and present their specific range of products, machines, services, digital technologies and innovative solutions for the entire potato chain.

Do not miss this unique opportunity to discuss the latest market and price trends, as well as the most recent innovations with all your colleagues in the sector. This will provide you with all the assets you need for achieving sustainable, responsible and therefore healthy growth. Together Towards Healthy Growth!

Fully booked exhibition halls

Interpom 2022 takes up the whole of the Kortrijk Xpo complex and all stands in the 7 exhibition halls are sold out. People in the sector are clearly eager to meet again and prepare for the upcoming season. Half of the exhibitors are from abroad and all the leading brands will be present.

A strong growth in visitor numbers is also expected compared to the (exceptionally postponed) 20th edition that was held in 2021.

Cooperation in the sector a must for continued healthy growth

The theme chosen by the organisers of the event, namely 'Towards healthy growth', is intended to emphasise the responsibility incumbent on every link in the chain to work together towards sustainable, responsible and consequently healthy growth.

'Healthy growth' is all about cultivation methods, land use, growing in a socially responsible way, but also about sustainable transport and processing, autonomous energy use and sustainable water management. Combine all this with the super healthy character of the potato as a food bomb, and you get the whole picture!

Christophe Vermeulen, CEO at Belgapom:
 

"Every year brings new challenges in the potato world, but this year was particularly tough. The extremely dry season resulted in significantly lower crop yields. Fortunately, September was a good month for us and the harvesting conditions were excellent."

"But it is the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis that are giving us a really hard time. Average costs at farm level rose 80%, with peaks for energy as high as 300%. This is an unprecedented situation. Personnel costs going up 10% all at once has not been seen in 40 years either."

"Now that cereals have apparently become the new gold, I think it would be wise to highlight at Interpom that potatoes have long been our 'old' gold and that we would like to keep things that way. If there is one lesson to be learned from the succession of crises, it is that we now more than ever need an integrated approach and vision on the future of potato production in our country."

"We must be able to continue our journey together towards healthy growth, and that is what it should be all about on every stand at Interpom."

The challenges in the potato sector stimulate innovations

Innovation is key to achieve healthy, sustainable growth and to be able to tackle the current challenges, such as climate change, water scarcity, fertiliser shortages, labour shortage and rising costs of raw materials and energy.

With the help of an independent group of experts, INTERPOM has selected a number of must-see innovations developed by exhibitors that not only provide added value for users, but also benefit the entire potato chain.

These innovations will be announced in November and will be highlighted at the fair via a special route called the innovation tour, as well as via all available digital channels.

Seminars: from drought issues to disease control and price inflation

The seminar programme is compiled by Belgapom and will focus on knowledge sharing:
 

• The added value of the interprofessional organisation Belpotato.be: achievements, challenges and prospects. Steven De Cuyper & Jean-Pierre Van Puymbroeck (BELPOTATO)
• Vision of innovative future agriculture - towards 2030. Jan de Keyser (BNP Paribas Fortis)
• Sustainability perception of Belgian potato, fruit and vegetables sector. Katrien De Nul (VLAM)
• Innovation and services in crop protection to benefit agriculture, climate and biodiversity. Peter Jaeken (BELPLANT)
• Climate change and potatoes: can biostimulants help? Geert Haesaert (UGent)
• Cooperation in Dutch agricultural sector. Andries Middag (Vavi)
• The first International Potato Day, a unique celebration of the potato”. André Devaux (CIP)
• New features in WatchITgrow. Jürgen De Cloedt, Isabelle Piccard (VITO)
• Irrigating potatoes using alternative water sources. Tim De Cuypere (INAGRO)
• Potato fertilisation, opportunities in challenges. Bram Vannevel (INAGRO)
• Phosphorus removal from wastewater produced by the potato processing industry. Jan Dries (Universiteit Antwerpen)
• Agroecology principles and practice, preliminary solutions for potato. Alain Peeters (RHEA)
• How European potato processors are driving sustainability from farm to fork. Nuria Moreno (EUPPA)
• The sector is committed to sustainable use of water - a few case studies. Imca Sampers (VEG-i-TEC)
• PATAT’UP – Towards low-input potato production. Vincent Berthet, Feriel Ben Abdallah (FIWAP / CRA-W / PATAT’UP)
• ADAPT (Accelerated Development of multiple-stress tolerAnt PoTato). Romans Vorss (EUROPATAT)
• MiNiMax: Making the most of nitrogen mineralisation from soil organic matter. Jeroen De Waele (PCA)
• Integratie van circulariteit in de aardappelsector met het Living Lab Circulair van Inagro. Reindert Devlamynck (INAGRO)
• The Supply Challenge in the Global Potato Market. Cedric Porter (World Potato Markets)
• Vegaplan certification: state of play and new developments. Brigitta Wolf (Vegaplan)
• Climate measures tailored to the needs of potato growers: what the first Klimrek climate scans teach us. Anne-Sophie Sacré (ILVO)

 
Get your ticket online

In order to purchase their entrance ticket, trade visitors must first pre-register online via the website of the trade fair. Those with a free invite or a discount code also need to pre-register using the code mentioned on the invite. Visitors will only receive their entrance passes after registration (and payment if applicable).
 
Dynamic and international meeting point for information sharing

The location of the fair, Kortrijk, is right in the heart of a dynamic, strong and growing potato market. Interpom is therefore the perfect place to establish or maintain contacts with colleagues and suppliers from home and abroad. So this will be a very exciting meeting place for every person involved in the chain!

Interpom is an initiative of Belgapom, the official trade association for the Belgian potato trade, growers and processors. The practical organization is in the capable hands of Kortrijk Xpo.