Dutch date is the key for potato export market

In recent years exports of seed potatoes from Scotland have gradually increased to the point where they are now worth millions of pounds to the economy.

With a view to further promoting this trade, British potato exporters will next week attend the Potato Europe event in Emmelord, Holland.

With more than 250 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors from around the world, Potato Europe is seen as a key marketplace for the GB potato sector.

Among the companies and organisations exhibiting this year are Greenvale AP, Caithness Potatoes, Cygnet PEP, James Hutton Ltd, Cullen Allen and SASA.

Speaking ahead of the event, Niall Arbuckle from Greenvale AP said the show was the ideal venue for striking deals with key clients in countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Israel and Jordan.

“It’s an intense couple of days where we sit down with our customers and agree tonnages for the coming export season,” he said. “We’ll discuss quality and quantity and the end result is usually 10,00012,000

0 Scotland now exports millions of pounds of potatoes tonnes of potatoes ordered from our key customers.”

Stephen Hole from Caithness Potatoes described Potato Europe as a really important international meeting place, especially as in the potato business there are none too many opportunities to sit down face to face with clients.

“As well as discussing potential orders for the coming season we want to make our customers aware that have recently started producing seed in four European countries, Holland, France, Denmark and Poland,” he said. “This will give European customers the opportunity to purchase high quality seed locally and so allows us to access previously untapped markets.”

The AHDB Export Team’s Rob Burns said he would be pushing the benefits of GB’S high health seed potato sector.

“Britain currently exports seed potatoes to over 30 countries worldwide and AHDB is currently working on plans to both develop new markets and increase volumes currently going in to existing markets,” he said.

“We are looking to increase our exports in a number of areas including Russia, the Middle East and Brazil and the show offers us the chance to continue discussions with these target markets. Middle East and the Gulf states are of particular interest as potential new markets as their previous supplier of seed potatoes have limited production as part of their water saving measures.”