Emmeloord, 25 March 2021 – as from today, Agrico will be sharing the innovation of its sustainable Next Generation varieties on its online platform agricopotatoes.com.

In line with its digital transformation and the current circumstances resulting from the pandemic, last November Agrico built an online news platform to support its buyers and growers with important knowledge and information. This platform, Agrico Potatoes, will go live again today.

Growth of Next Generation varieties
Agrico brought its first Next Generation variety, Carolus, to the market in 2016. Now, five years later, the Next Generation range has become a complete range of nine different varieties, all with high Phytophthora resistance. The current series consists of Carolus, Alouette, Levante, Twinner, Twister, Nofy, Ardeche and the latest additions, Beyonce and Jacky. These varieties contribute to sustainable cultivation, because they offer protection against the main potato disease (Phytophthora infestans), with fewer crop protection agents having to be used.

The added value of these sustainable varieties is becoming increasingly evident. Not only are varieties for all different segments being added to the range, but the scope of international cultivation is also increasing in volume. For example, the range as a whole has grown from approximately 1,000 tons in 2018 to 15,000 tons of planned production from Dutch seed potatoes in 2021. This growth means that the results of these varieties are also becoming more transparent and are improving. Due to the knowledge acquired and exchanged concerning all fields throughout the world, Agrico is seeing an increase in yield and demand for these varieties. Large industries are also buying these varieties more often, because this is the path to sustainable use of natural resources for our future generations.

Because of the scope of the Next Generation range, growers can choose to grow multiple varieties with different resistance genes in combination, in order to spread the risk of crop loss. With the youngest variety, Beyonce, which was recently allowed to join the variety list, Agrico now even has a variety that, depending on the Phytophthora prevalence and the virulent strains in a particular year, can boast several defense mechanisms against potato blight.

Through its online platform, Agrico Potatoes, Agrico shares the latest insights and successes of its Next Generation varieties. Interested buyers and growers all over the world can benefit from this.

If you would like to know more about the latest news on the different varieties, visit www.agricopotatoes.com

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More information for the press
Linda de Jong-Hoeksma
Cooperative and Communication Advisor
T: +31 (0)527 639980 
E: l.de.jong@agrico.nl  /  W: www.agrico.nl 

About Agrico
Agrico is a cooperative of potato growers involved in breeding, growing, collecting, processing and marketing on average 600,000 tons of potatoes a year. Agrico is committed to breeding a top-quality product, meeting the customer’s specific requirements and local conditions worldwide. It has a packing company ‘Leo de Kock & Zonen B.V.’ for table potatoes in Purmerend, its own in-house breeding and research company 'Agrico Research B.V.' in Bant and a large number of trial fields in the Netherlands and abroad. The commercial and administrative activities are coordinated by its head office in Emmeloord. Agrico works with its own subsidiaries and participating interests in companies in France, Great Britain, Poland, Sweden, Canada, Slovenia, Turkey and Kenya, and has agents in virtually all seed potato importing countries. Read more about Agrico at www.agrico.nl.