Potato Europe concluded successfully

The Potato Europe trade fair, which took place on 7 and 8 September, at the Rittergut Bockerode Estate in Springe-Mittelrode near Hanover, Germany, has confirmed its role as the international venue for potato professionals after a hiatus due to the pandemic. With 8,000 visitors from 65 countries, the outdoor exhibition with technical program attracted over 250 exhibitors.

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. The special features in the technical program presented to international visitors, including Germany, an array of solutions to current issues in potato cultivation and marketing:

- Digitalization in technology for potato cultivation explored in "Smart Potato Farming"

- Erosion control and water management explored in "Intercropping and greening"

- Opportunities and prospects for direct farm sales explored in "On-farm processing and marketing"

"PotatoEurope 2022 has made it clear that also in the potato industry, personal contact is still the most important factor for initiating new business," said René Döbelt, DLG vice president and farmer from in Saxony, Germany.

 "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" , he added.

"The current drought and the expected low harvest highlight to society the importance of a reliable supply of high-quality potatoes," said Martin Umhau, DLG Supervisory Board member and potato grower from Saxony.

"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," added Umhau.

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 Potato Europe 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.