10th edition Pomuni Expo
In early December 2020, our 10th annual Pomuni Expo opened its doors, in line with the current coronavirus measures! Initially our quality assurance team had the idea of grouping all the samples after harvest for an overview. Over the years, it turned into an event where customers and growers could take a closer look at our “potato portfolio”. This year, we showcased 46 varieties or 320 samples, which were grown on 1,200 hectares in Belgium. Both the growers and the employees of our purchasing, supply and quality assurance teams rely on this overview for a good insight into our most important asset: our Pomuni potatoes! The expo is also a great opportunity to continually develop and expand our knowledge of potatoes in general.
We wish to thank our growers and contract workers for making the necessary efforts in these difficult economic circumstances because the coronavirus pandemic has and continues to have a major impact on the potato industry.
Storage is also increasingly important these days. “Potato storage is a challenge and proved even more difficult this year because of the ban on CIPC – a sprout inhibitor that was used to improve potato storage conditions – and the late wet harvest”, says Hans Muyshondt. “As a result, we now closely monitor sprouting in addition to internal defects and bruising. Our quality assurance team continues to conduct rigorous tests across different varieties and compare the results, as these storage conditions are new to us as well. At the same time, we are convinced that we will be able to pull off storage and the required quality because of the knowledge that we developed in previous years.”
We therefore wish to thank our colleagues of the entire cultivation and QA team. They have spent a lot of time focussing on this irrevocable switch to new storage methods, in addition to advising growers.
“As an organisation, we are keenly aware that we must continue to focus on potato variety selection”, Hans Muyshondt adds. “Ultimately, those potato varieties that deliver above average and, in particular, constant results under difficult conditions are the winning varieties in the supply chain. They generate the highest profit for growers, for Pomuni and for our customers. Examples that come to mind include Jelly and Jazzy, but many of the new varieties have also produced good results.”
Our job now is to refine our growing techniques. In addition to focussing on the yield/hectares, we must also take consumers’ wishes into account in our selection. This coming season, we will continue to invest in product-friendly techniques, both in the fields and in our packing stations - following the expansion and investments at our site in Ranst - to reduce our waste to zero!
