17-03-2025 In Conversation with Leon Tiggeloven
Leon Tiggeloven started in 2019 as a buyer for East Netherlands. After a few years, he also took on the seed potato tasks, but these became too extensive to combine. For the past year, he has been fully employed as a Commercial Seed Potato Coordinator at Aviko. “What I enjoy most is the hustle and bustle during the contracting period, the game of buying and selling, and the contact with colleagues,” says Leon.
What responsibilities and challenges come with your role?
"I am responsible for the procurement and distribution of seed potatoes to the field service, working closely with my field service colleagues in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany. Additionally, I handle seed potato complaints, including visits and resolving complaints. We have also recently obtained the exclusive representation of the varieties Plasseti, Mavilo/SL 08-240, and Mavando/SL 13-67, which brings additional tasks."
How is the general availability and quality of seed potatoes this year?
"Overall, we have enough seed potatoes to meet the needs of our factories, although we would like higher availability for some varieties to better meet the wishes and needs of the growers. Compared to last year, we certainly cannot complain."
"The delivery of seed potatoes is just starting, so it is still difficult to say what the general quality picture looks like, but it seems that we will encounter more Fusarium. As for cutting work, we are at an average amount or even slightly less, thanks to the good tuber setting in the 2024 harvest. As a result, we hardly need to cut any 60/+."
What are your expectations for the delivery season?
"It will again be a challenge to get all the seed potatoes to the growers on time. Spreading the delivery helps with this, and the weather also plays an important role. Last year, the 50/+ batches were generally quite large, while the 28/35 batches consisted of many small batches. This year it is more the other way around. Additionally, we have reorganized logistics, especially in terms of communication between companies."
What developments do you see in the seed potato sector?
"The industry is still expanding. This means more demand for consumption potatoes and indirectly also for seed potatoes. It will be a challenge for the seed potato trading houses to keep up with this growth. Additionally, more and more crop protection products are disappearing, making the cultivation of (seed) potatoes increasingly difficult."
What three words would you use to describe the perfect seed potato?
"Reliable, powerful, and lively. A reliable seed potato is consistent in quality, powerful refers to the vitality and growth strength of the potato, and lively emphasizes healthy and robust growth. These characteristics together ensure that the seed potato performs optimally under various conditions and contributes to a successful cultivation."
