News on Potato Defects and Diseases from Belgium

Europatat, the European Potato Association, is calling upon researchers and industry professionals to share information about ongoing research, and any other related activities which will help to control the spread of wireworms in potatoes.

The last 4 months was not easy going for the potato production in the NEPG region. But despite the difficult weather conditions, first yield estimates suggest a return to multi-year averages, with an estimated harvest of around 23 million tonnes of potatoes.

Europatat is proud to become an active partner of a new EU Horizon Europe project called PATAFEST that aims at protecting potato plants by means of pest spreading and resistance characterisation, preharvest treatments, and post-harvest solutions.

After more than 2 years, the first major international meeting platform for the potato chain will finally see the light of day: on Sunday 28, 29, and 30 November 2021, INTERPOM will be opening its doors in Kortrijk Xpo. At last, the potato professionals will be able to meet each other again!

North-western Europe will have had one of its most humid summers in the last decades! In some areas in Belgium and Western Germany, rainfall at mid-July was an absolute historic high.

Scientists at the university of Ghent have developed a vaccine to combat potato blight, one of the most common diseases in potatoes.

It's easy to see a bruise on a person. Not so, on a potato. The bruises are under the product's skin and so not easily detected during processing. Science, however, has found a solution that gives the Belgian Colruyt Group a peek under potatoes' skins.

Free, downloadable publication by TOMRA Food for Potato Fresh Packers addresses challenges intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to a coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 21st EAPR Triennial Conference has been moved to fall. The new Conference date is November 2-6, 2020. Therefore, all key dates have also changed.

TOMRA Sorting Food has introduced the TOMRA 3A sensor-based sorting machine for freshly harvested root crops, offering potato growers unrivalled sorting capabilities, dependability, and affordability.

The total potato harvest in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France in 2018 will be at least 20 percent lower than last year, according to the latest estimates of the North-western European Potato Growers (NEPG).

The North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) conclude that the potato production this year in North-Western Europe will be much lower than average and that quality issues will be a main challenge.

The extreme heat and drought is a disaster for the upcoming potato harvest. And for processors too: in Belgium, potato chips manufacturer Roger&Roger (Croky) temporarily halts production of some its flavours to manage the lack of potato supply.

The Belgian Development Cooperation has been working with the International Potato Centre (CIP) in developing countries since the 1970s. The aim is to support the research and training required to improve the production of potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as other root vegetables and tubers.

The North-Western European Potato Growers report on volume and condition of the potatoes still in storage

Although the full harvest is not in the stores yet, the North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) estimates the actual harvest at 28.9 million tons for the 5 countries. This is more than the estimate of last September.

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.

Op basis van proefrooiingen en praktijkresultaten verwacht de NEPG een totale oogst van 27,9 miljoen ton aan consumptieaardappelen in Noord-west Europa. Dat is 13,5% hoger dan vorig jaar.