Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 45 INTERNATIONAL Potato peeling and packaging line auctioned o AN online auction of potato processing equipment took place in Lower Saxony in December, for German supplier Sola Bonum. Held by Industrial Auctions, the auction consists of a peeling line, multiple sorting lines, a slicing and weighing line, and a packaging line. The machines are from renowned brands such as Variovac, Marcelissen, Sormac, Lima AB, and Newtec, Dofra, ATS, and Finis and are being sold by German potato supplier Sola Bonum, which has been in operation since 2001. The machines/auction were located at Soltendieck, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Tari s driving price hikes - claim denied POTATOES South Africa (Potatoes SA) has denied recent claims that the implementation of import taris on French fries was driving up food prices and threatening food security in South Africa. General Manager of Merlog Foods, which supplies frozen French fries and value-added potato products amongst other things, has seen the price of frozen French fries almost double over the past year, from about R16/kg to R30/kg as a result of import taris, which the company’s General ManagerGeorg Southey says has created a shortage of French fries on the market. He said: “South Africa does not produce enough of the type of potato used for the production of French fries and [there is not] enough processing capacity to [produce] French fries in the country. Wholesalers, such as myself, therefore have to import frozen chips from other countries so that every small vendor, shisa nyama [outlet] and restaurant can keep French fries on their menus.” But CEO of Potatoes SA, Willie Jacobs, says the import taris, which amounted to 23% for Belgium, 104% for the Netherlands and 181% for German suppliers, were necessary to protect the local industry against “dumping”. Growers have been producing varieties for processing purposes on contract, he said, and these contracts were secured for at least two years in advance, which was the timeframe needed by seed potato producers to supply farmers with tubers of the required varieties. “There is no shortage, as both our Mondial and Sifra varieties are suitable for processing, and account for 84% of the total market delivery,” he said, adding that the only sector experiencing shortfalls was the restaurant industry where French fry varieties mostly processed by McCain, Lamberts Bay and Nature’s Garden in South Africa were used. New processing arm TONY Galati, founder of Spudshed which provides a range of fresh produce throughout Western Australia, has brought forward a long-standing plan to add a frozen chip and potato crisp processing arm to his expanding horticulture and retail empire. Machinery is now being installed at his Myalup farm, with crisps expected to start selling from February or March and frozen chips following around July or August. Tony, together with his brothers Vince and Sam and supported by their sons, oversee day-to-day operations on the various farms and stores. A heated strategy INSIGHTS into the best strategy for storing and using heat-stressed potatoes have been shared by a scientist working for the AAFC (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada). Dr Xiu-Qing Li, a research scientist with the Canadian government department, has made some key discoveries, including the identification of varieties relatively tolerant to heat stress in potato mass, heat sprouting and post-harvest dormancy. His studies also determine the genetic characteristics that contribute to heat-tolerance in potato varieties, the department has revealed. The scientist has been studying heat-stress in potatoes for years, leading to a number of breakthroughs in recent years. In 2018, he teamed up with the University of New Brunswick and international collaborators to examine the response to heat-stress in 55 dierent varieties of potato, the first large-scale study of its kind. In most of the varieties studied, heat stress decreased leaf size, but increased leaf greenness and plant height, while severely reducing potato formation and mass. This study also identified which varieties were most heat- tolerant: Eramosa, Chieftain, AC Belmont, and Superior. In 2020, Dr. Li collaborated with AAFC colleague Dr. Benoit Bizimungu, along with researchers from Queen’s University, on a study looking at eects of earliness on heat stress tolerance in 50 potato cultivars. It determined that potato varieties known for reaching maturity early in the field grew at similar rates to later-maturing varieties when these were placed under heat stress in greenhouses, but the heat actually slowed down their maturation process. Pre-Christmas potato shortage WESTERN Australia is facing a pre-Christmas potato shortage as a result of torrential rains and flooding, along with transport hold-ups and increased cost of fertilisers putting pressure on growers. The bad weather has delayed potato sowing in Victoria — with seedlings usually planted in October in the region — and some growers concerned they won’t be able to start planting until the end of December.