Message of Gerard Backx

Sufficient and responsible food for all. That is what we have been working on since 1898. Hunger and malnutrition, however, are still issues over a hundred years later. Natural disasters and extreme weather, armed conflict and war, and also the corona pandemic have had enormous consequences for world food supplies throughout 2020 to 2021. At the end of 2021, the World Food Programme of the United Nations sounded the alarm:  almost 850 million people are facing malnutrition around the world. Due to the ongoing drought in East Africa and the war in Ukraine, this number is now increasing at a dazzling speed.

Healthy food is a basic human right

The United Nations named Zero Hunger as one of the most important Sustainable Development Goals of 2030. This goal also has huge significance for our potato breeding company. With top quality potato varieties, and excellent genetic materials, you can provide quality and affordable food in a short period. Our potato varieties can thus thrive, even under challenging circumstances. Good DNA ensures protection against diseases and a reduced need for input in the form of chemical crop protection, artificial fertiliser and (fresh) water. This makes potato growing even more efficient and future-proof.

With top quality seed potatoes, we aim to reach an increasing number of people around the globe. Also the countries that are not as easy to reach, for example because there is a conflict going on. This latter task is not easy. For example, there are enormous obstacles in international bank traffic and this choice also sometimes generates criticism. We completely understand the sensitivity of the subject but nevertheless stand behind our conviction that healthy food is and must always be a basic right for all world citizens.

High- tech breeding techniques for a green revolution

In order to realise our aims - a sustainable future without hunger - we are focussing on innovative methods to improve and accelerate the potato breeding process.  In the recent past, we have seen a period of excellent progress, with new high-tech breeding techniques, including marker technology and hybridisation. This latter, whereby potatoes can be grown from seed, offers a genuine result with respect to food security. The preliminary signs regarding this new form of breeding are very positive.  It means that we can breed better quality potato varieties quicker. It also has environmental benefits: seed is easier to transport than seed potatoes, with lower CO2-emissions as a result.  The hybrid varieties will also need lower levels of pesticides in the long-term as we can cross-in resistances to these varieties more easily. If developments continue to be positive, we expect to bring these to the market from 2025.

Finding a balance

Developments in relation to disease resistance are also continuing apace. In 2030, three-quarters of the varieties we introduce will have to be resistant to the two most significant potato diseases. We are positive that we will meet this goal. Nevertheless, it will take a few years before resistant varieties are commercially viable and EU legislation and regulations, which reduce or even ban residues, could precede this development. This, in turn, could have a major impact on food supplies and the environment. We are therefore seeking connections with all the various stakeholders and links in the chain in order to strike a balance between people, planet and profit.

Together with our growers and customers, we aim to make growing future-proof. Our biggest contribution is supplying seed potatoes with the appropriate genetics, but we also see our role as a facilitator whereby we can share expertise and create connections with multiple chain partners in order to develop a vision in relation to the major issues that we are faced with and find the corresponding improvements. This is how we will continue to grow. Each and every day.

Gerard Backx
CEO