Blog - Belgapom

19/04/2023

Steady growth for Belgian potatoe industry but rising costs cast a shadow

The Belgian potato processing industry processed more than 6.2 million tons of potatoes last year. The sector thus sharpens its own record from 2019 by no less than 18%. Employment in the sector is rising accordingly, with the limit of 6,000 employee...

30/11/2022

Interpom 2022: more than 20.000 visitors from 54 countries

From 27, 28 and 29th November 2022, potato professionals all over Europe attended our trade fair INTERPOM. With more than 20,000 visitors from 54 countries, we can certainly speak of a successful edition. On behalf of Belgapom, we woul...

02/03/2021

Corona crisis slashes Belgian potato industry in 2020. Volume of potatoes for processing lowest in three years !

No one could miss it in the media last year: the corona pandemic slashed the Belgian potato sector. In the 2019-2020 season, where the free market was in balance, growers and buyers were from one day to the next confronted with a global lockdown and ...

02/01/2021

Belgapom welcomes its new CEO Christophe Vermeulen !

On the first of January 2021 Christophe Vermeulen starts as the new CEO of Belgapom and director of FVPhouse. He succeeds Romain Cools, who will after a carreer of 30 years will step aside to become advisor of his successor and the Bel...

03/12/2020

Christophe Vermeulen to be the new CEO of Belgapom and director of FVPhouse

The Board of Directors of Belgapom has unanimously chosen to collaborate with Christophe Vermeulen as the successor to Romain Cools as the CEO of Belgapom. He will also act as the director of FVPhouse, the umbrella organization of the federations in ...

26/10/2020

With a new board, Belgapom starts its new search for a successor to Romain Cools as CEO of the Belgian potato trade and processing industry

The Belgian potato trade organisation was founded in 1947 as a recognised professional association. 73 years later, following the Law on Associations and Companies that abolished recognised professional associations, Belgapom’s general assembly dec...

06/07/2020

Tom Vandenkendelaere will take over from Romain Cools as the new CEO of Belgapom starting January 2021

After a career spanning 30 years, Romain Cools, the secretary general of Belgapom, will say farewell to Belgapom, the Belgian potato trade & processing industry association. He will hand over to Tom Vandenkendelaere, who starting from January 202...

25/05/2020

Too Good To Go launches the national campaign “SOS Patat : save the potatoes, eat fries”

l The international NGO Too Good To Go, working on food losses prevention, has launched a national campaign to urge Belgians to buy and consume an extra portion of frozen potato products. As such they could contribute to make some free place availabl...

20/05/2020

Early potatoes on the fresh market : why we also need imported earlies.

Consumers in Belgium will have noticed that in most supermarkets currently also packed early potatoes originating from the Mediterranean area are being offered. Also the Flemish media have spent attention to this. Belgapom has presented the follow...

10/04/2020

Belgian potato sector grows again in 2019. However, corona crisis will lay into the 2020 figures.

Growth again in 2019, above all in frozen fries Last year, despite the difficult growing conditions as a result of the extreme heat and drought during both the 2018-2019 and the 2019-2020 seasons, the Belgian potato-processing industry once again ...

20/01/2020

Interbranch organization for the potato sector takes off in Belgium

The Belgian potato sector has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. In 1990, around 500,000 tonnes of potatoes were processed into fries, puree products, chips or flakes and granulates. In the meantime, that volume has increased tenfold. Bel...

10/01/2020

Belgapom: position on the method for storing the 2020 potato harvest

As previously announced by Belgapom, the recognised association for the Belgian potato trade and processing industry, potato storage in the European Union is entering a new era. This is the result of a decision taken by the European Commission t...

22/11/2019

Belgapom organizes a high level potato event at the Belgian mission in China

In the framework of the Belgian economic mission to China, chaired by Princess Astrid of Belgium, Belgapom has organized a High Level Potato event in Beijing to activate a possible collaboration between the Chinese and Belgian potato sector. Of cours...

11/10/2019

Potato storage … entering a new era as of the 2020-2021 season!

The European Commission recently decided to revoke approval for chlorpropham (CIPC) a substance long known, on the basis of a report that was published on the website of EFSA (the European Food Safety Agency). Luckily, in cooperation with Flanders...

29/03/2019

Belgian potato-processing sector experienced record growth in 2018 and exceeded 5 million tonnes of processed potatoes.

However, in 2019 the sector is facing major challenges as a result of the poor growing season of 2018 – 2019 Belgapom, the association for the Belgian potato trade and processing industry, can announce that in 2018 the 5 million tonne mark was p...

01/03/2019

Belgapom, Boerenbond and VITO together towards digital agriculture.

Boerenbond, Belgapom and VITO are teaming up to strengthen the future of the Belgian potato chain by further developing the online platform WatchITgrow. WatchITgrow is a Belgian platform launched to support growers to monitor arable crops and vege...

27/02/2019

Belgapom introduces its ambassador for Belgian fries, James Bint, in Mexico during the economic mission

During the Belgian economic mission led by Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid, the Belgian potato sector featured prominently in the large delegation representing the Belgian food sector under the banner ‘Food.be, small country, great food’. S...

28/12/2018

Imagine a world without potatoes

The international potato center CIP has launched at the World Potato Congress 2018 in Cuzco Peru the idea to set up a global promotion campaign for the potato under the slogan : 'Imagine a world without potatoes'. Everybody who's involved one...

28/08/2018

World Potato Congress gives farmers in the Andes an extra boost via Trias project

This spring, Trias was one of the highlights at the World Potato Congress in Peru. The contacts made during this event with various partners have been fruitful. Every three years, the World Potato Congress brings together thousands of researchers ...

07/07/2018

Marc Van Herreweghe new chairman of Belgapom

The annual general meeting of Belgapom, the Belgian potato trade and processing industry association, has appointed Marc Van Herreweghe as its chairman. He succeeds Marc Seru who in accordance with the articles of association was not available for re...

16/03/2018

Record investments in the Belgian potato-processing sector are continued in 2017: production figures higher once again

The record year of 2016 for the Belgian potato-processing industry continued into 2017, according to Belgapom, the Belgian potato trade and processing industry association. During the past few years, the Belgian potato industry developed into one ...