After a pause caused by the pandemic, the PotatoEurope trade show, which was held during September 7 and 8, at the Rittergut Bockerode Estate in Springe-Mittelrode near Hanover, Germany, established its status as the main international gathering place for potato specialists.

The outdoor show with technical program attracted over 250 exhibitors and 8,000 guests from 65 different nations.

With one in three traveling to the trade fair from abroad, the trade fair’s professional potato visitors were primarily from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Poland, Denmark, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Austria.

Additionally, experts from North Africa, North and South America, and Asia attended the exhibition to stay up-to-date on new developments in the industry.

Digitalization in technology for potato cultivation explored in “Smart Potato Farming”, erosion control and water management explored in “Intercropping and greening”, and opportunities and prospects for direct farm sales explored in “On-farm processing and marketing” were the special features in the technical program presented to international visitors, including Germany.

“PotatoEurope 2022 has made it clear that also in the potato industry, personal contact is still the most important factor for initiating new business. Many of the international visitors had traveled far to secure live information on new varieties, cultivation methods as well as demonstrations of equipment on-site,” René Döbelt, DLG vice president and farmer from in Saxony, Germany said.

At his turn, Martin Umhau, DLG Supervisory Board member and potato grower from Saxony mentioned that the current drought and the expected low harvest highlight to society the importance of a reliable supply of high-quality potatoes.

“PotatoEurope is a key showcase for technological leaps in potato production. The event is therefore important for us, as potato growers, and for the entire value chain, since the key solutions to current problems from operational practice are usually always presented here,” Umhau added.

Exhibitors were satisfied with their participation in PotatoEurope 2022, emphasizing the high professional level of the visitors. This resulted in numerous professional and expert discussions as well as new contacts at the stands of the 253 exhibitors from 15 countries.

The next PotatoEurope will be held on 6 and 7, September, 2023, in Belgium in Cain near Tournai, and will be organized by the Belgian agricultural machinery association Fedagrim. In 2024, the trade fair will be hosted in France by the ARVALIS, France’s agricultural research institute, and in 2025 in the Netherlands by DLG’s subsidiary DLG BENELUX. Potato Europe will be held in Germany again in 2026.