That the potato industry is of major importance for the regional economy is beyond dispute. Focus WTV, regional television chain, spent an entire series highlighting the various facets of the potato industry in our regions, which is suffering from unjustified import tariffs from the USA and fierce competition from China and India.
One of the partners in the Dodilog project is Inagro in the province of West Flanders. Inagro is strongly committed to innovation and improving potato varieties, and is looking for potatoes that are less susceptible to drought in the context of climate change. To this end, they are establishing various trial fields.
"It is very important that we find new robust varieties for the entire industrial sector," said Kürt Demeulemeester, Research Director for Potatoes at Inagro, during the interview. "It is important for the farmer that has to use less fertilizers. It is important for the consumers, because they want to deal with less crop protection. And it is important for the industry, because they want potato varieties that require much less treatment and water use."
The wider discussion on the significance of potatoes as staple food and the need to continue to find solutions to maintain their quality throughout the value chain proves that what DODILog is trying to achieve is extremely relevant nowadays in Europe.
Well done to our colleague!
See the video here (in Dutch)
