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By Dale Lathim
In November, I had the great privilege of traveling to Asia and Europe to see potato production and processing in each region. The week prior to that, I chaired a meeting in Las Vegas with growers from 12 growing regions of North America. No matter where the growers I interacted with were from, the goals, needs and outlook on the future remained very similar.
Whether it was farmers in India with between four and 70 acres each, or growers in Europe with 20 to 500 hectares, or even those with more than 10,000 acres in North America, growers all wanted to produce the highest yield and quality attainable in their area. I have to admit that I had a North American bias when I left home. But to see what great efforts growers go to in other regions to overcome major obstacles with their climates, soil conditions and logistics, I left with a new respect for what they will do to produce a very high quality product.
For those of you who think the quality in other regions is far less than North America, I challenge you to go see what they are doing in other countries. I saw potatoes being planted with precision in beds with 8 inch spacing and 8 inch rows in India. The seed was being hand cut and was as precise and uniform as any I have seen cut in North America. When looking in their storages, the potatoes had a very good size and were holding very well halfway through their storage season.
I got to talk to 18 growers in India and they could not be more proud of their operations and the potatoes they produce. Those potatoes are being made into frozen potato products at plants that rival anything we have in North America. One specifically about an hour drive outside of Ahmedabad is nearly identical to a plant I toured the summer before last in Alberta, Canada. Both plants annually produce about 450 million pounds of potato products. I was able to sample some of their products and, while the yellow flesh potatoes they use look slightly different, the taste of the finished product was very similar to what we make in North America.
The European portion of the trip was not as hands on. Many thanks to the Spudnik and Grimme Group for hosting me while there. The technology I saw on display at their factory and that of one of the sister company suppliers was as advanced or maybe even more advanced than what we have here. While attending the Interpom potato show for parts of two days, I was able to talk to many other equipment and technology vendors as well as some growers. It is clear they are on the leading edge of technology in the potato industry.
Also present at Interpom were all of the major potato processors in the EU. Walking around and seeing their booths showed that they definitely have more competition than we do here in North America, but also that there is a real competition from each for attracting and maintaining growers.
In the past, you have heard or read my comments on the fact that European processors have a distinct advantage of low to sometimes free freight out of the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam to provide ballast on ships returning to major countries that export product to Europe. Until you see just how massive and modernized those ports are, you can’t imagine the volume they are capable of shipping out to compete with us in North America.
In the end, my trip taught me that growers everywhere want to produce a high quality product for their customer(s) and all they want in return is a fair price for their time, inputs and risk. Processors worldwide are looking for the latest technology that will allow them to produce the highest quality frozen potato products for their customers in the most efficient way possible.
Worldwide, this is a great industry. I now have a new appreciation for just how connected we all are and look forward to tackling the challenges coming our way in 2025.