Over the past year, Agrico achieved a record turnover of 343 million euros. As a result, the potato trading house managed to increase payments to producers by almost 20 percent, despite a direct increase in costs of 35 percent.
The average seed price in FY 2021-22 was more than 20 percent higher than the previous FY. Consumer prices for potatoes rose by about 47 percent. Prices per kilogram were also significantly higher for organic seed and consumer potato producers. Due to reduced yields due to late blight, the hectare balance in organic cultivation has been disappointing, reports Agrico.
“The market situation and the difficulty in loading potatoes on time have made the 2021-2022 season challenging,” says director Jan van Hoogen. “Therefore, we are very pleased with the fact that we have managed to achieve a significant improvement in the result.”
Coronavirus and war
Agrico reports that in the 2021-2022 financial year, the coronavirus crisis has once again had a major impact on seed sales. The war between Russia and Ukraine is over. At many destinations, it was not easy to find enough containers to load the potatoes on time. Thanks to improved conditions, a significant increase in profits was achieved compared to the previous financial year for both seed and table potatoes.
The trading house is very positive about the outlook for the 2022-2023 financial year. “The demand for food is huge and will only increase in the coming years.” In addition to explaining the yearly performance, Agrico members were briefed at the central member meeting on the status of the organization and subsidiaries.
New director
In September, Agrico announced that Mark Seidhof would replace Jan van Hoogen as Managing Director. Until January 1, 2024, Seidhof will form the board of Agrico together with Van Hoogen. At the meeting, it was announced that Monique Besseling from Wieringerwerf in North Holland will join the Supervisory Board as a new member. At the same time, Besseling replaced the resigned Lawrence de Winter. Gert de Raaff was reappointed by the Board of Members as a member of the Supervisory Board.
