AGRICO TAKES ON THE CHALLENGES OF THE POTATO SECTOR WITH ‘STRONGER BY NATURE’
Agrico takes on the challenges of the potato sector with 'Stonger by Nature'
Potato cooperative Agrico is strongly committed to addressing the challenges facing the potato sector through its varieties portfolio. Varieties that give growers confidence where it matters most: yield, quality, and income. That was the message from CEO Mark Zuidhof during the opening of this week’s Varieties and Seedling Show. Ambitious goals are being realized with the introduction of two highly promising seedlings with stacked resistance genes against the fungal disease, late blight.
This year’s Varieties and Seedling Show revolves around the theme Stronger by Nature. This theme represents Agrico’s future-ready varieties that are naturally bred and developed to thrive in a changing world. Agrico directly addresses the challenges faced by growers and customers, such as the impact of climate change and evolving laws and regulations.
“A remarkable and challenging season”
In his opening speech, Zuidhof described this growing season as “particularly challenging and tense”, citing not only pressure on potato prices, but also stagnating sales to the potato processing industry.
Zuidhof stressed the importance of collaborating with others. “Agrico has a strong network of members, buyers, agents, and distributors. We are confident that, together, we can turn this difficult market situation into new opportunities.”
Naturally stronger varieties
At Agrico Research, we work every day to develop varieties that are naturally stronger, Zuidhof explained. “Our breeding produces varieties ready for the challenges of both today and tomorrow.” While late blight resistance is a key focus, Agrico’s ambitions extend beyond that: Agrico develops varieties with enhanced resistance to nematodes and viruses, as well as excellent storability. Zuidhof added: “Agrico always offers the right variety for every growing condition. With Stronger by Nature we demonstrate not only the strength of our genetics, but also the versatility of our portfolio: varieties that each contribute in their own way to healthy, profitable, and sustainable potato cultivation.”
Agrico’s Next Generation varieties are a prime example of this. These varieties have natural late blight resistance and have proven their value in real-world conditions, Zuidhof says. “They help growers achieve more with less input: lower costs, higher yields, and a more sustainable outcome.”
Stacked resistance genes
The next step for Agrico is stacked resistance - combining multiple resistance genes within a single variety, enabling the plant to defend itself better against late blight. During the Varieties and Seedling Show, Agrico showcased two promising seedlings with stacked resistance genes.
This advancement in developments at Agrico also comes with a fresh look. “That’s why we’ve developed a new logo for Next Generation: a strong visual identity reflecting the innovation, reliability, and sustainability of our Next Generation varieties,” says Zuidhof.
Agrico Originals
At the same time, Agrico continues to honor its classic varieties. Under the new ‘Agrico Originals’ label, the cooperative highlights varieties that have proven their worth for decades – including Agria, Fontane, Markies and Sinora. “Varieties that have made a global impact and remain an important part of our portfolio,” says Zuidhof.
To maintain its lead in variety development, Agrico is investing in the future. Zuidhof: “With the new construction taking place at Agrico Research, we are expanding with modern facilities and the latest technologies, allowing us to work even faster and more efficiently on developing healthy, sustainable varieties that are tailored to growers’ real-world needs.”
The construction project at Agrico Research began towards the end of 2024 and is expected to be completed during the summer of 2026.
New varieties
This year, two new Agrico varieties were added to the Dutch National Variety List: Sivas and Chester. In line with tradition, during the Varieties and Seedling Show, Peter Oldenkamp, Director of Agrico Research, presented bronze statuettes to the breeders of these new varieties.
The variety Sivas, bred by Konst Research, is aimed at the traditional market and offers strong resistance to viruses and scab. Chester, bred by Agrico Research, has been developed for the production of potato chips and flakes and is resistant to G. Pallida (potato cyst nematode).
According to Oldenkamp, potato breeding has progressed rapidly through the addition and combination of various desirable characteristics. “In this way, we are developing varieties that safeguard the incomes of growers and value chain partners, while better addressing the growing restrictions on production inputs - both from an environmental and economic perspective. These challenges inspire our team to push the boundaries and deliver the very best varieties to our customers.”
// End of press release//
More information for the press
Fenneke Wiepkema
Marketing and Communications Officer
T: +31 (0)6 83798675 / E: f.wiepkema@agrico.nl / W: www.agricopotatoes.com
About Agrico
Agrico is a cooperative of potato growers specializing in breeding, growing, collecting, processing and marketing potatoes. The company has its own in-house breeding and research company, Agrico Research B.V. in Bant, along with numerous trial fields in the Netherlands and abroad. Commercial and administrative activities are coordinated from its head office in Emmeloord. Agrico works with its own subsidiaries and partnerships in France, Great Britain, Poland, Sweden, Canada, Slovenia, Turkey and Kenya, with agents in virtually all seed potato importing countries. Read more about Agrico at www.agricopotatoes.com.