Belgian-Macedonian Business Club

Clarebout Potatoes, the Flemish frozen potato producer, might strike a deal with J.R. Simplot, a US company looking for a European base. No formal announcement has been made at the moment, but the company has been in talks with other groups before.

The competition increases and also other Belgian companies like Agristo are expanding.

What is specific about potatoes?

• Potatoes are a good vegetable for poor areas. They do need little tools to grow and harvest, animals do not eat them on the fields, they do not need good ground, and no milling and backing to make a meal. Potatoes give a better result per square meter than cereals. And, you can consume potatoes directly, without threshing and milling.
• Today, in the time of convenience food, the demand is high for fried potatoes (“French fries”, a Belgian specialty).
• It is better to clean, prepare and freeze the potatoes close to the source and transport the finished goods, not to transport the raw potatoes. This gives an advantage to the geographical zones where potatoes grow, Belgium is a fertile country for potatoes.
• Potatoes are the one mass product that does not need ‘market management’, speak public subsidies and can be produced in EU under competitive conditions.

Belgium is the world’s leading exporter of frozen “french fries”, producing 3 million of the 15.5 million tonnes consumed globally each year.

Find the full article from BelgaNews here.