The potato, our national pride
The Belgian potato is under pressure, and farmers are sounding the alarm. Potato growers Henk Dewaele and Willem-Jan Coens have been in the business for twenty years. Thanks to cultivation guidance from buyers, they make the right choices. “One potato variety is more resistant to drought than another. One plot is also more sensitive to drought than another. As a farmer, it’s an art to grow the right variety on the right plot.”
Willem-Jan Coens, Wingene / Henk Dewaele, Ruiselede
What makes the Belgian potato so iconic?
“We don’t always realise it, but our climate is ideal for growing potatoes. And we should be less modest: we Belgians are among the best farmers in the world. The idea that you’re growing a product that’s so versatile makes cultivation enjoyable. Boiled, baked, as fries, croquettes, mashed potatoes, or gratin dauphinois: you can eat potatoes every day, with a different taste each time.”
Henk Dewaele
Potato cultivation also brings challenges. You experience the impact of climate change firsthand.
“Absolutely. The biggest challenge is maintaining the yield we’re used to. That can fluctuate a lot—especially now that it rains much less often.”
“The weather is becoming more extreme. The last ten years have almost all been exceptional. Mind you, we don’t always end up with fewer harvested kilos of potatoes, but still. This year we’ve already had two months of drought. It was high time for rain.”
Willem-Jan Coens
“Ideal potato weather? Five days of good weather, but no more than 25 degrees. Then rain on days 6 and 7. Preferably about 15 liters. Unfortunately, that ideal doesn’t exist. We often have long wet periods followed by long dry ones. It’s hard for farmers to adapt. In wet years, you’d want to drain water; in dry years, you need to bring it in. It’s all possible in practice, but it costs a lot of money.”
“One potato variety is more resistant to drought than another. One plot is also more sensitive to drought than another. As a farmer, it’s an art to grow the right variety on the right plot.”
Henk
You talk about the right potato variety on the right plot. How do you find the right combination?
“For about ten years now, Willem-Jan and I have been growing potatoes for Colruyt Group and De Aardappelhoeve. Thanks to the collaboration with Colruyt Group, we receive cultivation guidance, where they help us select the right varieties for our fields. They have the resources and knowledge to assess quality. They wash, peel, and fry potatoes and conduct taste and storage tests. Cultivation advisors say: Henk, you’d be better off growing that variety on that plot. They also know very well what the consumer wants. We farmers have our own expertise: what fertilization and irrigation are needed on our plot, and how do we ensure we harvest many kilos of potatoes per hectare? The cultivation guidance from Colruyt Group is a perfect complement to that.”
Henk
To what extent does sustainability play a role in your vision for the future?
“It plays a big role. If we want to keep growing potatoes, we’ll have to take very good care of our soil. The project with Colruyt Group gives us the chance to receive a fair price for our product, which gives us more margin to invest in sustainability. I therefore experience our collaboration as sustainable: in the past ten years, all agreements have always been honored. Colruyt Group is always fair with us, and we with them. We both want to deliver and offer the best possible product to the consumer. Colruyt Group looks locally for the best products to bring to people, and we support that effort.”
“I remember an incident a few years ago. It was a bad harvest: we couldn’t deliver many kilos, but it wasn’t our fault. We couldn’t cover our costs. Colruyt Group compensated us fairly for the energy we had put in all year. I’ve been a farmer for 20 years, but I’ve never experienced that with any other party.”
Henk
Do you notice that consumers appreciate the focus on local production?
“Yes, absolutely. More and more I see that potatoes are bought directly from the farmer, via vending machines on their plots or in farm shops. You notice that consumers want to support Belgian farmers. Not only potatoes, but also eggs and milk are extremely suitable for chain collaborations.”
Willem-Jan
“It’s fantastic that a farmer can sell his product within the Belgian chain and generate profit. And local doesn’t only mean organic: I’m an industrial farmer, but I produce something that rivals organic quality. That’s partly thanks to the quality standards Colruyt Group monitors with us. With the Global GAP certificate, we work together on transparency: where does the potato variety come from, what products are used for spraying, is the soil not over-fertilized? The fact that we can offer a potato that meets those standards shows that Colruyt Group values us doing things the right way. The label ‘Locally grown, locally loved’ also stems from that commitment.”
Henk
Locally grown, locally loved
This quality label assures you that the potatoes, fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy you buy are of Belgian origin. The potatoes from Henk and Willem-Jan are available in Colruyt Lowest Prices, Okay, Spar Colruyt Group supermarkets, and on Collect&Go.
