VAVI Director Marieke Hoste Highlights Innovation and Collaboration Ahead of Potato Demo Day

Marieke Hoste, who earlier this year became Director of VAVI, the Dutch trade association for the potato processing industry, is preparing for her first Potato Demo Day in her new role. Drawing on her experience in advocacy, public affairs and the agri-food sector, Hoste sees the event as an opportunity to showcase the Dutch potato industry's strengths, where innovation, collaboration and knowledge sharing come together across the entire value chain.

Before Marieke started at VAVI, she worked at LTO Nederland, the province of South Holland and Cosun, among others. She also lived with her family in Chicago for more than two and a half years, where she worked on sustainability issues and for the Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network. 

Marieke Hoste, Director of VAVI (the Dutch trade association for the potato processing industry):

"Working in this place gave me a completely different perspective on the international food industry and from a distance you realize how special it is that the Dutch agri-food sector has such a global position with such a limited surface area."

Back in the Netherlands, the position at VAVI came her way. Although she already knew the agricultural sector well, she experiences the specific potato chain as a unique world.

Marieke Hoste:

"The potato chain is a world of its own, and I have been looking into it in recent months. It is a sector with a lot of dynamics, in which there are plenty of developments, both in terms of market and policy. That makes it challenging and interesting."

Collaboration as a strength of the potato chain

For Marieke, the strength of the Dutch potato sector lies in the way in which the various links reinforce each other. From cultivation and breeding to processing, research and technology: it is precisely this collaboration that makes the chain internationally distinctive.

Marieke Hoste:

"We have a lot of knowledge, innovative power and efficiency. As a result, as a Dutch potato chain, we have a strong position on the world market. That is something we can be proud of together."

According to her, the Potato Demo Day shows that cooperation well. The entire chain is represented in one place, so that knowledge is shared, innovations become visible and new connections are created.

Marieke Hoste:

"A new variety, a cultivation recommendation or a technical adjustment in the factory never stand alone; in the end, it has to work for the grower, for the processor and for the customer."

Challenges require joint solutions

At the same time, the sector is facing major challenges. Changing regulations regarding fertilization and crop protection, international competition and the sustainability challenge require cooperation and continuous innovation.

Marieke Hoste:

"There is a lot coming at the sector. We don't yet know the solution for everything, but I am confident that we can find it together. We have that good starting position, but we also produce in a country with high costs for labour, energy and logistics. This means that we have to stay focused on what sets us apart: quality, reliability and efficiency."

Within the sector, there is already intensive cooperation on solutions, including in the field of target management and the reduction of emissions to groundwater and surface water. She also sees the Crop Protection Agreement, on which an outline agreement was recently concluded between governments and sector organisations with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of the use of crop protection, as an important development for the coming years.

In addition, according to Marieke, it remains important to remain internationally competitive.

Marieke Hoste:

"Our sector earns its money on the global market. This means that as a chain we must continue to invest in knowledge, innovation and cooperation. Both growers and processors have an interest in this."

Innovation as an engine for the future

Innovation is an important part of the Potato Demo Day. According to Marieke, there are several developments that will determine the sector in the coming years.

The control of late blight remains an important point of attention. New monitoring systems can help with this, while at the same time fewer and fewer crop protection products are available. New breeding techniques also offer perspective, although their development takes time. In addition, she sees many opportunities in the smarter use of data.

Marieke Hoste:

"More and more information is becoming available. The challenge is how to use that data in a good way in practice. There is still a lot of potential there."

The presence of start-ups during the Potato Demo Day also fits in well with this development, she says. Young companies often bring new insights, technologies and ideas that can contribute to solutions for issues facing the sector in the coming years.

Looking to the future with confidence

What Marieke hopes to give visitors above all is confidence.

Marieke Hoste:

"The sector is facing tough challenges, but I also see a lot of entrepreneurship and a solution-oriented approach. On a day like this, you not only see the problems, but also the people who are working on solutions. I hope that visitors see how much is possible and go home with a positive feeling."

She herself is looking forward to walking around the site during the Potato Demo Day, visiting the stands and experiencing the practice up close. It is precisely this combination of knowledge, innovation and meeting that makes the event so valuable, according to her.

Marieke Hoste:

"The entire potato chain comes together here. That makes the Potato Demo Day not only a place to discover new developments, but also to meet each other, exchange knowledge and look ahead together."