Sole supply agreements in the potato processing sector are helping to improve profits, reduce waste and raise quality. Louise Impey reports from an initiative in Norfolk. An £8.4m investment by H J Heinz at its Westwick factory, just north of Norwich, is good news for potato growers in the area, says Ian Rainford, production manager at the site.

Les Fermes Poitras Inc. was named the 2008 McCain Champion Potato Grower for Grand Falls during the annual McCain Grower Barbecue held August 19 at the Grand Falls Arena. More than 250 guests gathered for the recognition of the top 10 growers. Rock Poitras of Les Fermes Poitras Inc., St. André has been contracting potatoes for more than 33 years. Although the farm has been named one of the top 10 eight times before, this is the first time they won top spot.

At Wagenaar's, the potato trader in Dirkshorn in the province of North Holland, it’s all about the fast and accurate delivery of potatoes for export. "If we could handle our 25,000 tons of potatoes that we prepare for export each year neatly balanced out over the year, we could do with at least half the machinery", Jack Wagenaar (46) explains.

Peru’s ministry of Agriculture (Minag) is carrying out a study on the production of certified potato seeds in ten departments of the country with the aim of developing strategies to obtain a better quality tuber, reported today Miguel Quevedo, member of the General Management of Agricultural Promotion.

The availability of a new genetically-modified (GM) potato variety will be a blessing for South African small-scale farmers, GM interest group AfricaBio has said here. The group said it supported the introduction of a GM version of the Spunta potato variety, which has been developed by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC).

Idaho potato acres are down, and the next few weeks could determine whether yields are down, too. Development of the crop was about two weeks behind during the early part of the growing season because of a long, cold spring. The crop has caught up in some, but not all, areas of the state, with harvest just around the corner, said Jerry Wright, president and chief executive officer of United Potato Growers of Idaho.

Total U.S. potato exports for frozen, fresh, dehydrated, chips and seed potatoes and potato products were valued at $1.11 billion in the July 2007 to June 2008 marketing year, good news for potato growers throughout the country including the San Luis Valley. This marks an 11.35 percent increase over marketing year 2007 and represents the fifth consecutive year of export growth. Although the largest export category was frozen, with a 12-percent growth spurt, exports of fresh potatoes (table stock and chip stock) increased by 15 percent to 293,230 metric tons, valued at $135 million.

Regulators must delay controversial proposals to restrict EU pesticide use to avoid sending food prices into the stratosphere, the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) has warned. The ECPA warned that already rocketing rapeseed, wheat, cereals and potato prices could go through the roof if the revisions are approved. Its warnings were made in a document urging the European Commission to conduct a proper regulatory impact assessment (RIA) before the revisions have their second reading in the European Parliament.

Una compañía de investigación agrícola de Australia está trabajando en la obtención definitiva de  papas que los diabéticos pueden incluir en sus dietas, informó ABC Rural. El Dr James Hills, de Agronico, informó que la empresa está trabajando en el desarrollo de variedades de papas que proporcionan un nivel más bajo de azúcar en sangre al ser digeridas.

Kartoffelprodukte werden ab Herbst teurer. Die Preiserhöhungen belaufen sich im Großhandel bei einzelnen Unternehmen zwischen vier und zehn Prozent. Großhandel und Landwirtschafts-kammer argumentieren mit hohen Kosten.