Emmeloord, 4 November 2020 - today, Agrico will present its new varieties on its new online platform, agricopotatoes.com. This platform is also the next step in the digital transformation of the potato cooperative.

Agrico has been organising a large and well-attended variety show in November for years now. Due to Covid-19, this meeting full of physical encounters was not an option this year. To maintain the moment of connection with its customers and to present its new varieties, the cooperative developed an online platform.

Digital transformation
Agrico has declared this season as the year of digital transformation. To achieve the ambitious goals from the Agrico 2030 “good growth” strategic plan, Agrico is renewing almost all digital platforms in its business operations. For example, a new information management system (ERP) has been under development for over a year. In addition, all portals will be renewed in combination with user-friendly apps and social media will be expanded internationally. Finally, Agrico uses new forms of digital meetings and online meetings, partly prompted by COVID-19. The online platform Agrico Potatoes that was launched today is a good example of this.

Online platform
The online platform forms part of the new website that was launched in mid-September. On the platform, managing director Jan van Hoogen presents the developments within Agrico by means of a video, including the latest results of the breeding activities. Customers and other visitors will also find the latest insights about Agrico's varieties. And to give it a tasteful touch, tasty potato recipes are shared to prepare at home.

New on the variety list
On the platform, Agrico will present no fewer than eight new varieties that joined the Dutch Variety List this year:

• Severina; grown by the Konst family. This is a very early variety for the traditional market. The variety has a nice skin, good yields and an average dry matter content. Agrico expects good results in Southern and Eastern Europe.
• Jacky; grown by Lantmannen Seeds B.V. This variety is a new member of the 'Next Generation' package. Jacky produces an amazing number of tubers per trunk (20-30). It is a firm variety and thanks to the smooth skin, you can prepare the variety with the skin on.
• Meryem; grown by Agrico Research, Agrico is already highly dominant in the red-skinned markets, but there is always room for improvement. That is why Agrico introduces Meryem, which has an even higher yield than its other red-skinned varieties. In addition to a bright red skin, the variety has a long shape and light yellow flesh. It is especially suitable for traditional markets such as North Africa.
• Rousseau; bred by Lantmannen Seeds B.V., this is a red-skinned variety suitable for the Western European salad market. Rousseau has acquired the French qualification of ‘Chair Ferme’, which is necessary to be successful in that market today. The long shape, the yellow flesh and the beautiful skin make this variety very attractive to buy for consumers. In addition, the variety offers a good flavour and cooking quality. It just adds that little bit extra to a meal.
• Prince; grown by Lantmannen Seeds B.V. Prince is a white-fleshed potato intended for processing into fries. Its baking colour is excellent and the content of reducing sugars remains very low, which means this variety can be stored at low temperatures for a long time. For 'QSR' restaurants, this is the perfect solution fries-wise.
• Palace; grown by Agrico Research for the processing industry, Agrico introduces Palace as a variety in the bulk fries market. It grows easily under different climatic conditions and on different soil types. In terms of yield, Palace performs better than the other fries-suitable varieties on the market. The dry matter content is reliably high. With its beautiful skin, it can also be interesting for other markets.
• Beyonce; grown by Agrico Research. For the crisps market, Agrico is introducing another new Next Generation variety: Beyonce, which is not limited to cultivation by organic growers. Conventional growers who want to use fewer resources to control blight will benefit from this variety. The level of reducing sugars remains low during the storage season and the crisp quality therefore remains good for processing.
• Allstar; grown by Jan Lucas Spijkman. Allstar is introduced as a newcomer to the starch segment. In addition to a high yield and a good dry matter content, Allstar has multiple resistances to solve soil-borne disease problems for growers. This includes resistances against Wart disease and potato cyst nematode.

Spotlight varieties
In addition to its new varieties, on the platform, Agrico highlights three other young innovative varieties that are currently conquering the market:

• Spectra
  This variety deserves extra attention because of the beautiful presentation it always offers. It is a variety with good yields, a good flavour and it also meets the requirements that are set throughout Europe. A good choice for all retailers but also for traditional markets on our continent.
• Levante
  Another promising variety for the retail sector and more traditional markets is Levante which forms part of the Next Generation package. It has a long tuber shape, with a reasonably good dry matter. Consumers can use it for different purposes in their kitchen, such as boiling, mashing or grilling. These potatoes provide beautiful and delicious results in these types of dishes.
• Babylon
  This variety is more or less a lookalike of the well-known Agria. It can be used for industrial production of fries and crisps, as well as for home-made fries. With its large long oval tubers, it has a very good yield and stable quality. This makes it a very nice end product in both restaurants and the domestic kitchen.

If you want to know more about the latest variety news, please visit www.agricopotatoes.com.

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T: +31 (0)527 639911
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About Agrico
Agrico is a cooperative of potato growers involved in breeding, growing, collecting, processing and marketing on average 500,000 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.