05 Repeat

We never stand still at Royal HZPC Group B.V. We are driven to contribute to the world's food supply every day and are always looking at where changes and improvements can be made. Sometimes we face setbacks but, in those moments, we show ourselves to be resilient and agile.

On 14 September 2023, Royal HZPC Group B.V. was hit hard by cybercrime when criminals managed to transfer a large amount of money to their own bank accounts. Fortunately, we managed to recover the money but the cyber attack put us on edge. The security level of our systems was and is up to standard, but a phishing email was not recognised as such by employees. We have now have improved security even further, with the most important measure being to raise awareness among employees. We probably haven't paid enough attention to this in the past but everyone within Royal HZPC Group B.V. must now attend regular, mandatory training to reduce the risk of a repetition.

On 1 July 2024, we will take the next step in Aurora, our Business Transformation Programme. Our branches in Poland and Germany switched to the new ERP system on that date and an overall planning and consolidation system is already in use. Within Aurora, diligence comes before speed. We have thus opted for a step-by-step implementation which means that not all functionalities are immediately available. All branches will switch over in the next two years.

A different working method impacts our employees and growers so we are paying a great deal of attention to this issue and ensuring that everyone is included in the changes we are going through as an organisation. Things may not always runs smoothly but, thanks to Aurora, we will soon be able to collaborate more effectively and internal processes will be better streamlined. This will free up more time for contact with customers, growers and partners.

In 2023, Deutsche Bank informed us that they no longer wanted to act as a financier of Royal HZPC Group so we had to look for a new bank. Meanwhile, a new consortium of three banks has been created: ING Bank NV has remained, Commerzbank AG and Crédit Industriel et Commercial are new. We have made many improvements with respect to compliance, i.e. abiding by laws and regulations and working according to standards and rules. This has also been noted by the banks. As a result, we have again secured funding for the coming years on similar terms.

In October 2023, the Board of HZPC Association and the Supervisory Board evaluated the Connecting Growers programme. This programme involves Royal HZPC Group B.V. spending EUR 1.5 million each year to buy up certificates and donate them to active growers in the European Union. A decision was made to continue on with the programme for the time being. In Finland, Germany and the Netherlands, many active growers have taken advantage of this, but French and Polish growers are still barely participating. Growers still find the onboarding process on the exchange platform difficult. Currently, 62% of growers have signed up.

Every day, together with our employees, customers, partners and growers, we take important steps towards the future. We want to be and remain resilient while increasing our positive impact on the world. The growth in results always has a greater purpose and we believe in a future in which we can use robust, high-quality potato varieties to make a world of difference. For the environment, but also for our growers, customers and partners. It is therefore vital to continue investing in variety development, strengthening our own organisation, cooperation with our partners, the talents and skills of our employees and the transformation of the seed potato sector. But we will only succeed if we continue to put our shoulders to the wheel together. So that we can continue to meet the demand for sufficient healthy food.

As you drive through Normandy in summer, you would be hard pressed to miss the endless fields of blue flax flowers. In June and July they also grow in the fields of Christian Ouin, grower in Seine Maritime, northern Normandy. He grows several crops and also raises cows. In this area, seed potatoes are one of the most important crops, besides flax. He uses straw mulch and gauze covers to protect seedlings.

Christian Ouin: "Since 1992, I have been growing 30 hectares of seed potatoes. From the beginning, I have been working with different varieties for HZPC, including Colomba, Franceline, Innovator, Taisiya and Marilyn. My goal is to produce the best possible seed potatoes for each variety.

Four years ago, I saw the first trial fields of HZPC France where they applied straw mulch and this kick-started me into using it. The first time I used it was to protect my mini-tubers. Those first years are so important; if things go wrong then, you will lose many hectares in the years thereafter. So you need to protect that zero generation properly. I have since switched to gauze covers for the mini-tubers. The total area is about 0.3 hectares. For all other generations, I now use straw mulch on my acreage of seed potatoes."

"With an Altec machine, I spread about 2.5 to 3 tonnes of barley straw on the field per hectare. If we organise it well, two drivers can cover about 8 hectares a day with a layer of straw. One bale of straw will give you enough for a track 400 metres long and 5.4 metres wide.

Three years ago, I stopped using insecticides altogether and now only use mineral oils and straw mulch. It’s been very successful. Among the growers around us, it is clear that the potato Y virus is becoming more and more widespread. Our fields, however, were completely free of the virus in 2023 and that is a fantastic development. I would definitely advise other growers to switch to straw mulching. I’ve only found benefits from making the change.”

"I am always very interested in new techniques and I now use drip irrigation on 24 hectares of my land. I first lay the drip lines between the ridges and then the straw goes on top. As a result, the yield is fantastic.

In a few years, my daughter will take over the business from me and as a grower, you should always be looking at how to do things better. You must keep adapting and be bold enough to change. I see HZPC coming out with wonderful new varieties with good resistance packages in the near future. Growing seed potatoes requires a lot of time, work and money but, with a good price for our seed potatoes, I think the future is very promising."