Potato News from Europe

Potato starch producer AKM in Brande, Denmark, has entrusted SiccaDania to design and build the two largest flash dryers ever installed in Denmark.

HZPC, world leader in potato breeding, announced during the shareholders’ meeting on 5 October that a consolidated net turnover of €318.5 million has been determined for the financial year 2016/17. The gross profit is €59.3 million and the net result is €8.5 million.

The Czech Potato Research Institute in Havlíčkův Brod has announced that it has bred a new potato variety they named “Val Blue”. And yes! It has a striking blue-purple colour.

The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 178.4 points in September 2017, up 1.4 points (0.8 percent) from August and 7.4 points (4.3 percent) above September 2016. Firmer prices in the vegetable oil and dairy sectors were behind the small month-on-month rise.

With Pulsed Electric Field Treatment increasingly replacing the traditional preheating step in potato processing, insight and quantification of the effect of the PEF treatment on the potato becomes more and more important. The Membrana by Pulsemaster makes conductivity measurements of untreated and treated potato easy to apply.

During the Agritechnica trade show, potato machine manufacturer AVR will launch its latest 2-row potato harvester: the AVR Spirit 5200.

Bavarian potato harvest at its peak, consumers can expect good quality

Seed potato growers and traders are facing mounting frustration as wet weather continues to interrupt the harvest across Scotland.

With worldwide demand for potato products continuing to grow, TOMRA Sorting Food is supporting potato processors by launching an enhanced sorting solution which removes more than 98 percent of all typical foreign objects found in product streams after washing and peeling.

Potato growers in Hungary are in a tough position as potato prices are low. On top of that, yield has been negatively affected by heat and quality is far from optimal.

Ukrainian potato starch manufacturer PPCE-VIMAL is currently constructing a potato processing plant in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Production is scheduled to start in September 2018.

Equipment Manufacturer Tummers Food Processing Solutions has announced the appointment of a new managing director, Lennaert van Dijk, who assumed his new position on September 1, 2017.

Ten Dutch potato (processing) companies and two associations have established Holland Innovative Potato (HIP) to facilitate and coordinate joint pre-competitive research activities. A budget of € 4.5 million is available for the first research program of HIP.

With the acquisition of popcorn producer Cornpoppers Ltd, Kettle Foods takes the next step in transforming the company into a dynamic European snack foods business

Sormac has introduced a new MS-30 knife peeler suitable for potatoes and other root crops, featuring a 3-metre long drum making it a great fit for production lines with a higher processing capacity.

Processing Equipment manufacturer Bühler celebrated the ground breaking for its Innovation Campus in Uzwil, Switzerland. Completion of the building is expected for the first quarter of 2019.

Belgium potato chip manufacturer Roger & Roger invests €10 million (USD 12 million) in Croky Plant

For the current European potato harvest, the North-western-European Potato Growers (NEPG) estimate the total potato production at 27.9 million tons for the five NEPG countries (Belgium, Germany, France, The Netherlands and Great Britain). This is up 13.5 percent compared to last season.