New year and new era for the NEPG

NEPG (North-Western Potato Growers) was until December 31, 2020 an organization composed of 5 member countries (Belgium, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands) but the year 2021 began without AHDB, its British member who decided to leave the organization.

 

 

 

In January, some of the official members of the organization were renewed. In alphabetical order, the official representatives are Guy Depraetere (ABS-Algemeen Boerensyndicaat / Belgium), Alain Dequeker (UNPT-National Union of Potato Producers / France), Michael Heintges (REKA-Rheinische Erzeugergemeinschaft Kartoffeln / Germany) and Bert Timmermans (VTA-Verenigde Telers Akkerbouw / The Netherlands).

 

 

 

In addition to these 4 national representatives, 2 other members of the board of directors were also inducted, Jaap Botma (VTA / Netherlands), 1st official president, and Daniel Ryckmans (Fiwap-Filière Wallonne de la Pomme de Terre / Belgium ) as the new secretary.

 

 

 

Jaap Botma, current president of the VTA, is the first president of the NEPG to have been elected as such. He officially assumed his role as president on July 1, 2020 and will serve in this role for at least 12 additional months. The future development of the NEPG is among the files that the new team will manage.

 

 

 

A new era has dawned for potato growers and the potato industry as a whole. After more than 20 years of growth and development, the year 2020 saw the "potato world" shake due to COVID-19. For the first time in decades, the area devoted to potatoes could decrease significantly in 2021. Markets and prices could still take months to fully recover. The role of the NEPG will remain crucial for producers in the 4 member countries.