Agrico held its annual variety show at its research facility in Bant, the Netherlands. During the event, the cooperative presented four new varieties for the Dutch variety list.

These include the Lugano – a new French fry variety with good processing quality that’s resistant to pathotypes known in the Netherlands of both Globodera Rostochiensis and Globodera Pallida, noted the company.

Up next, Agrico showcased Corazon, a fairy early ware potato with red skin and pale yellow flesh, and Paradiso, a ware potato for the traditional markets in North Africa and South Europe. This variety stands out due to its elongated, oval tubers with a fine skin.

The last variety, Levante, is one of Agrico’s next-generation varieties. It’s a ware potato that offers Phytophthora resistance and high yield.

In addition to the new varieties, Agrico also highlighted other young varieties that are, according to the company, currently conquering the market. These include Constance – an easy to grow ware potato that is suitable for various preparation methods – and Vogue – a ware potato with big tubers intentend for the traditional makets. Lastly, Laudine is a high yielding ware potato with yellow skin. As well as being good for boiling, this variety can also be used for making homemade fries, fried slices and mashed potatoes.

Moreover, Agrico also took the opportunity to organize some knowledge-sharing sessions on the following topics: the potato market in Turkey, professionalism in the chain and the spotlight verities. Speaking of which, the theme of the variety show this year was Turkey. In the form of its subsidiary AR Tarim, Agrico has a professional partner for its exports to Turkey. About 150,000 hectares of potatoes are grown in Turkey, with a total yield of around 4.7 million tons (31 tons per hectare). Turkey exports potatoes to Iraq, Georgia and other countries.

The Netherlands, France, and Germany are the most important countries of origin for the import of seed potatoes in Turkey. In recent years, the local production of certified seed potatoes has grown considerably to around 230,000 tons. In addition, 26,000 tons of certified seed potatoes were imported, yielding a total of 256,000 tons.