Agrico continues to grow in acreage and varieties
Agrico continues to grow in acreage and varieties
Emmeloord, November 7, 2024 - Cooperative Agrico continues to grow in acreage of seed potatoes and in its variety portfolio. General director Mark Zuidhof said this at the opening of the Variety and Seedling Show held today and tomorrow. This year alone, three new potato varieties from Agrico have been added to the National Varieties List.
This year's Varieties and Seedling Show is dedicated to Agrico's Next Generation varieties. This refers to a selection of potato varieties with increased resistance to
Phytophthora infestans. These varieties contribute to sustainable potato cultivation because they offer better protection against this important potato disease and can
therefore make do with considerably fewer crop protection products. The added value of these sustainable varieties is increasing. Our Next Generation varieties pave the way for sustainable arable farming for future generations.
New varieties
This year three new Agrico-varieties joined the Dutch Variety List: Sidney, Leonore and Janick. During the Variety and Seedling Show, Peter Oldenkamp, director of Agrico Research, traditionally presented a bronze statuette to the breeders of these new varieties. The Janick variety was bred by Henrik Pedersen of the Danish AKV Langholt and is marketed worldwide under the Agrico brand Semagri. The other two new varieties, Leonore and Sidney, were both bred by Agrico Research.
BioSelect and Semagri
This year our Agrico BioSelect and Semagri brands are also emphatically present at the Varieties and Seedling Show. Semagri is present for the first time as an Agrico brand; BioSelect varieties have been shown at the variety show for some time. Starting this year, we will present the BioSelect and Semagri brands in their own corporate identity.
New growers
The acquisition of ZAP and TPC last year brought 1,250 additional acres to Agrico. In addition, the area managers have been very active in acquisition. This led to over 100 new growers becoming members of the Agrico cooperative last year. Both elements have resulted in substantial acreage growth in season 2024.
Currently, Agrico is also further expanding cultivation outside the Netherlands. “In countries where we have subsidiaries, such as Agrico UK in the United Kingdom and Desmazières in France, we see substantial growth opportunities in both cultivation and sales,” Zuidhof said. In addition, Agrico has started growing seed potatoes in Germany and Denmark. “These are new areas for us where we see a lot of potential to grow furtherin acreage.”
Agrico sees further growth in demand for seed potatoes. “Growth in industrial varieties for French fries, potato chips and starch, but we also notice increasing demand in export and retail varieties. Especially in export and retail, we notice more and more interest in our varieties with Phytophthora resistance.”
New building Agrico Research
Agrico Research is working daily to improve Agrico's portfolio of varieties. To maintain the lead that Agrico has in terms of its strong portfolio of varieties, the cooperative decided last year to build new laboratories at Agrico Research. Zuidhof: “At around 15 million euros, it will be the largest investment in Agrico's history.” The construction project will start immediately after this variety show. The new building will be completed around the summer of 2026.
//End of press release //
More information for the press
Agrico B.V. | Fenneke Wiepkema (+31 (0)6 83798675)
E: communicatie@agrico.nl | W: www.agricopotatoes.com
