Labor costs still grab a significant part of the potato sector’s business revenue and add considerable strain to the producers’ bottom lines. Some of the market players that achieved substantial productivity gains year on year, were barely able to keep pace with rising wage costs, especially since the COVID crisis began.

In this respect, experts say that automation will be critical moving forward, to address the continuing labor shortage. That’s one of the reasons why the agri-robotics market is set to grow to USD20.3bn by 2045, according to Dr. Duncan Robertson, co-founder, and CEO of Dogtooth Technologies.

Well-trained workers are needed now more than ever at all levels of the potato sector (agribusiness, storage, processing, packaging, and supply chain). Beyond that, the market players also complain of an acute shortage of workers, fresh produce harvesters, packers, technicians, and so on. And it continues to be an issue to be solved by the sector in the following period.

Automation solutions providers enable the different types of operators to have complete control over all their equipment and to allow them to monitor and manage machinery and facilities remotely.

Producers that invested in automation solutions have been able to better continue their activity during COVID-19. It made them less dependent on human labor and able to respond more easily to the 1,5 meters distance guidelines. It also gave them the flexibility needed to react more quickly to changing market demands.

Autonomous Machines in Potato Cultivation

Dewulf and Agrointelli recently announced their collaboration to jointly explore the benefits of autonomous machines in potato cultivation. The first project involves the combination of the Robotti autonomous platform with the Miedema CP 42 4-row bucket planter.

The two companies will undertake a joint effort to offer automated operations with a high level of data acquisition and site-specific optimization. To this end, DeWulf will bring its expertise in providing robust, high-tech, and cost-effective solutions for potato growers. Agrointelli will supply the robotic platform – Robotti. Both companies aim to enable potato growers to benefit from automated operations for soil preparation, planting, and crop care during the season through a lightweight automated setup. You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary e-copy of Issue 4 of Potato Business Digital magazine, which you can access by clicking here.