Potato News from New Zealand

The recent study by McCain on potato production in New Zealand, following a regenerative agriculture approach, presents promising results for the future implementation of these practices.

Three years ago, 5% of Canterbury’s potatoes were being lost to a disease which threatened to shut down the industry. Now the pest responsible has been driven off thanks to Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University researchers.

Scott Technology Ltd (NZX: SCT) Chairman, Stuart McLauchlan has announced the appointment of Mike Christman as CEO. Mr Christman replaces John Kippenberger who steps down at the end of August 2024.

TOMRA Food has merged its Fresh and Processed divisions to provide its customers with integrated food sorting, grading and processing solutions.

Six months into the Potatoes New Zealand chief executive role and Kate Trufitt has embraced the challenges and opportunities with enthusiasm.

The New Zealand Seed Potato Certification Scheme was established in 1948 and has been running continuously since then.

New Zealand potato chips manufacturer Bluebird says its parent company PepsiCo has invested over USD 66 million into the development of its Auckland factory, with a USD 26m-plus vending machine packing machine under construction.

By adopting integrated pest management (IPM) practices growers are not on their own, Australian entomologist, Dr Paul Horne, told Pukekohe potato growers at a Potatoes New Zealand research update breakfast meeting in late March.

Potatoes New Zealand has announced the resignation of its chief executive, Chris Claridge. He has been in the role for a total of seven years, since 2015.

Timaru’s McCain vegetable processing factory in New Zealand is now producing french fries using a boiler system powered by woodchips instead of coal, seeking to minimise waste by 20 per cent.

Exports of frozen fries from Belgium and the Netherlands to New Zealand have more than doubled in the quarter ending July 2022. These exports will be arriving presently, given shipping lead-times.

A NZD 5.6 million (about USD 3.5 million) project to eliminate CO2 emissions and reduce demand for heating fuel at McCain’s Timaru factory will soon use woodchips to make their frozen french fries.

When is a potato not a potato? When it's a tuber of a gourd, according to Guinness World Records. A New Zealand couple who believed they had dug up the world's largest potato in the garden of their small farm near Hamilton

Colin and Donna Craig-Brown found the questionably large potato growing in their yard in November 2021. They even named the potato Dug and submitted their surprisingly large find to Guinness World Records (via Food & Wine).

A New Zealand couple named Donna and Colin Craig-Brownla found a 25-pound potato by surprise buried in their backyard and ended up naming it Doug.

Investing in pack-house equipment usually means a notable cash outlay for any grower, packer, or processor. Making the effort to look after your equipment with regular care and maintenance will extend the life of your investment, saving you time and money.

In New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has released its Interim Report (Essential Facts and Conclusions) on the investigation into European dumping of frozen processed potato into the NZ market.

Two trials in Pukekawa, New Zealand, are showing some early promise for potato growers when it comes to greater control of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella (PTM).