The novel potato variety Rashida is a real all-rounder, growing from seed potatoes to a potato at the neighborhood market in Greece. Underneath the attractive exterior, there is a hardy type that thrives in any environment. And that pleases buyers, packers, and farmers.

Boudewijn van der Weide is the branch manager at ZOS Stiens, a HZPC subsidiary. Seed potatoes are preserved, separated, kept in boxes and sacks, mechanically cooled, and transported at this facility. When Boudewijn was interviewed not so long ago, a new shipment of Rashida just arrived.

“This batch is yet to be sorted. At this time of year, growers do not have time to do this themselves. Rashida is sorted at ZOS Stiens and delivered to Bangladesh in 50 kg wooden crates. The variety also goes to countries like Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Libya, and Syria,” van der Weide mentioned.

Although Boudewijn has been ‘in potatoes’ for more than 35 years, the procedure still fascinates him. He claimed that farmers in the Netherlands make seed potatoes for an expanding global population.

“These seedlings are planted across the world to produce ware potatoes which are then processed to feed all these mouths. Rashida is a good choice: – the variety has good resistance against scab and powdered scab, provides high yields, and is suitable for (home) fries. I hope Rashida finds its way to the traditional market. It is also a variety with potential for seed potato growers and HZPC wants to grow it in its acreage. For us, this is an easy potato. Rashida has a good period of dormancy and is easy to store,” Boudewijn declared.

Doing Business Directly

HZPC has recently conducted business directly with several customers in Greece. In Greece, Alex Koutros is the HZPC representative and is in charge of connections, operations, and the advertising of new varieties. There, Rashida was just lately made known.

The spud season lasts a long time in Greece. Potatoes are sown in October in the drier regions, but there are also places with a season akin to that of the Netherlands.

“Rashida is an all-round variety. Whether you are a high-achieving professional or just a regular grower, you will always have a good yield. Rashida grows easily in different areas of Greece, has sufficient resistance and the quality is good. The variety also looks great and that is a huge advantage in a country where people still buy most of their potatoes by eye, at the local market. Taste and appearance are important for consumers. For the packer, what matters most is quality, and for the grower, the yield must be good. Rashida does extremely well in all those areas,” Koutros declared.

He claims it takes two to three seasons to truly understand and deal with the variation, but up to this point, things have gone well.

“Growers need to see the benefits of a new variety like Rashida for themselves. A variety can only succeed if it offers something extra compared to the varieties used by growers so far. The Spunta variety, for example, is still very popular here, but Rashida has more positive characteristics. As soon as Spunta is ready for harvesting, it must be harvested to avoid disease problems and rot. Rashida can stay in the field much longer. It may be a bit early to say, but we have a lot of faith in this breed. It is one of HZPC’s most promising varieties for the Greek market,” Koutros concluded.