Arable farmer Theo den Engelsman in Poortvliet, Zeeland, is currently harvesting early potatoes of the Frieslander variety for the Alvantho auction in Sint-Annaland. The first auction day of the season on the island of Tholen took place on Tuesday, June 2. The potatoes were planted on March 8, and harvesting began on May 30. Thanks to the use of protective film, Den Engelsman was able to start harvesting one and a half to two weeks earlier than usual. He reports a normal yield of around 20 tons per hectare after a growing season with no major issues, noting that on this plot, harvesting will continue for a total of two and a half weeks as more kilograms continue to grow daily.
The potatoes are sorted and weighed directly in the field, packed into 20-kilogram crates, and placed on pallets. The harvesting and processing machine is typically an older, converted two-row puller, commonly used by many early potato growers on Tholen Island. The official opening auction at Alvantho took place on Thursday morning, June 4, with prices for Frieslander potatoes fluctuating around 70 euro cents per kilogram. Den Engelsman is satisfied to be supplying early potatoes, although he notes that demand is still gradually picking up compared to previous seasons.
