This year’s event took place at Tournai inBelgium over the 7th-8th September. 

As usual for potato events, the heavens opened, the rain poured and the muddy carparks overflowed.

Nevertheless over 7600 visitors attended the event, where a choice of over 173 exhibitors from 13 countries were available for discussions, demonstrations and trade talk.

 

 

As the event is European, our Pommies team are the main organisers and participants.  They saw many local growers from Belgium and Northern France as the talk inevitably drifted to the current season with over supply, low prices and soft demand.  Not many could find a silver lining around the dark clouds overhead.

It also meant that the usual offering of tea and coffee was expanded to include Perrier Water, Kronnenberg and Champagne!

Thanks to the multi-lingual team, the conversations could be overheard in many languages from Arabic to Spanish, Italian, Greek and Russian.

The Scottish seed boys had numerous visitors from Europe and North Africa keen to understand the current trends of supply and price, to renew old friendships, to confirm new partnerships and even buy a little Scottish or French seed.

One of the main attractions for farmers visiting the site is the working demonstrations of potato harvesters. 15 were on trial including a number of self-propelled machines. 

All were given a good workout under difficult conditions.

This annual event is now well established in the potato diary.  Alternating between Belgium, France, Germany and Holland, next year’s exhibition will be in France, organised by the Arvalis Institute du vegetal. 

Be prepared for some Gallic flair and bureaucracy.

David Higgins
Group Managing Director
October 2011