The 11th edition of PotatoEurope will be held on September, 14-15, at Villers-Saint-Christophe in France, halfway between Lille and Paris.
PotatoEurope, an open-field exhibition – organized by the ARVALIS - Institut du Végétal agricultural research institution with the support of the entire French potato industry – will feature equipment demonstrations; the Commercial Village and an introduction to technical innovations in potato production.
This year's French edition will also stand out with its dynamic optical sorting demonstrations. A total of no fewer than 23 dynamic demonstrations, processing more than a thousand tonnes of tubers, will show off manufacturers' latest innovations in a live environment. ARVALIS is also making plans to include 4 technical areas that will present R&D advances: genetic resources and varietal innovations, agronomy, diagnostics and in-built protection, and storage and conservation. Conferences will be organised (sensors in agriculture, export markets). Covering an area of 44 hectares, the exhibition includes many experts and over 280 exhibitors who will show off their innovations, share their results and discuss their experiences with visitors.
As of 30 March, 280 exhibitors - representing nearly 1/3 of the various countries of Europe, but also from the USA and Canada - had already booked their stands. This figure represents a rise of nearly 12% over the 2012 edition.
Over 10,000 visitors expected
"All these demonstrations and innovations - the fruits of a sustained R&D effort - reveal French potato production as among the most efficient in Europe.This is the image we're promoting for the 2016 edition of PotatoEurope, giving a sense of pride to the producers and a point of focus for 10,000 expected visitors", says Didier Lombart , President of the ARVALIS - Institut du Végétal's Professional Potato Committee.
PotatoEurope will cover an area of 44 hectares this year, 23 of which will feature demonstrations. The 3 optical potato sorting demonstrations are the only demonstrations of their kind at a public event anywhere in the world. They will be joined by 15 harvesting demonstrations and 5 grading lines.
A total of 23 demonstrations have now been confirmed: 15 harvesters (AVR, Dewulf, Grimme, Pouchain, Ploeger and Ropa), 3 optical sorting areas for washed potatoes (Dewulf-Miedena, Tomra and Visar Sorting) and 5 receiving areas (Downs- AVS, Eurodirect -Dewaele Briche, Dewulf-Miedena, Grimme and AVR).
Increasing the area made available for harvesting naturally maximizes visitors' options for observing and appreciating the demonstrations, giving them more time to make comparisons and allowing them to choose their future investments.
