Edition: 04-2025

Scaling-up changes the game, identity sets the course

Anyone wandering around PotatoEurope this autumn couldn’t have missed the fact that the international potato world is entering a new phase. Innovation no longer stands on the sidelines but visibly sets the pace. The event in Lelystad demonstrated how quickly innovation is progressing, from digitalisation and data-driven cultivation to robust varieties and the latest storage…

‘IPM acquisition offers a strategic growth leap for HZPC’

With the proposed acquisition of the IPM Potato Group, Royal HZPC Group takes a further step in the consolidation of the European seed potato sector. The 16.5 million euro deal adds an area of 1,800 hectares and opens markets, specifically in Africa and Asia. The takeover fits perfectly with our growth strategy’, says CEO Hans…

Good questions take us further

What if we in the potato sector took a little longer to respond, but first asked better questions?At Wageningen University & Research, we believe that true innovation starts at the beginning. Not in a laboratory or a field trial, but in the joint exploration of what really matters. What questions do we need to ask…

WPC 2026: A global hub for potato innovation

The World Potato Congress (WPC) is a cornerstone event for professionals across the global potato value chain. The 13th edition, taking place in Naivasha, Kenya from 26–30 October 2026, marks a historic first for Sub-Saharan Africa and highlights the continent’s growing influence in potato production and innovation. More than 1,000 delegates from over 60 countries…

Multi-million investment in Prinzen grading line, the foundation for the next generation

The cultivation of seed potatoes is by no means widely practiced in the Dutch eastern area of Achterhoek, which is mainly known as a livestock farming area. Yet the 100-year-old family business Prinzen Potatoes from the village of Aalten grows no fewer than 370 hectares of excellent planting stock here. Recently, the area has even…

Tolsma-Grisnich opens a new business premises in Emmeloord

During the official opening of the new, integrated location in the Dutch town of Emmeloord by Roger de Groot, mayor of the Noordoostpolder region, Tolsma-Grisnich announced that five different branches were brought together under one roof. The company invested around 25 million euros in construction and the interior, it currently shows a turnover of around…

Europlant continues to build for the future with the opening of Biotechnikum

For the German potato trading company Europlant, 2025 is a year in which past, present and future come together in a particularly special way. The company is celebrating not only the 125th anniversary of the Böhm family business, but also the 50th anniversary of Nordkartoffel, the opening of the new Biotechnikum, and the farewell of…

PotatoEurope 2025: a record edition in Lelystad

With 17,268 visitors from no fewer than 107 countries, the Dutch edition of PotatoEurope 2025 has exceeded all expectations. Never before have so many potato professionals from so many countries from all contacts in the chain come together to share knowledge, to network and experience first-hand the latest techniques. For two days, Wageningen University &…

Seedpotato trade EU-GB turning point or mirage?

There is no doubt that Brexit has greatly affected EU-UK relations. Many believed or at least hoped that it would never happen, or that we would have softer version of Brexit. Yet since the actual separation and the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, the relationship has shifted to that of the…

Novel contaminants in potato

Microplastics are everywhere, while the bulk of plastic is increasing globally because producing new plastic is cheaper than recycling. Environmental loads of heavy metals including lead, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, zinc, cuprum, and nickel are also on the rise, because of increased use of batteries, modern tools, and electrical cars. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are products of…