Its name already recalls a certain Italian character: Siena.
It is a new potato variety, with a cultivation cycle of 90 days, very early, in its third year of trial in the red soils of the province of Lecce, in Apulia (Italy). An exclusive collaboration has arisen between the owner of the variety, the Dutch company The Potato Company (TPC), and the Apulian company RO.GR.AN for the Italian market.
“The collaboration with RO.GR.AN was started because the Apulian company was looking for new varieties to produce and market that would better meet current market needs. The Siena potato has been developed with the Italian market in recent years. as a destination. Hence the name, ”explains Gaby Stet, owner of TPC. “It has its own taste and is a very sensitive potato. It adapts well to the regions of Apulia and the variety is also grown in Israel, Egypt, the United Kingdom and France”.
“ Siena can withstand a warm climate and is a very early cultivar with a very high yield: under ideal growing conditions, even 60 tons per hectare can be achieved. This can guarantee producers a good income. In Puglia, the tests show very satisfactory results “.
“The Siena potato is very widespread in Europe. It comes to Germany, but also the United Kingdom is one of the most important markets. It is a very strong variety that also reaches Norway and Denmark for its organoleptic qualities. It is particularly appreciated by supermarket chains. “said Stet.
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“We are focusing on variety innovation. This will enable us to consolidate the markets in which we are present and position ourselves in the markets with growth potential. The collaboration with the Dutch company TPC, which produces the seeds of the Siena variety, is delivering results. We are now entering the third year of trials in our areas and the results are really satisfying, ”said Francesco Romano, manager at RO.GR.AN.
“This year we invested a lot and planted 80 tons of seed. We hope we can store enough product for the whole of next year to satisfy our customers with uniformity and regularity for 12 months. We should start harvesting early March. of new potatoes, which will last until the end of July. The second harvest of the semi-annual product will take place in November-December ”.
“The Siena variety is a beautiful potato in appearance, but it is also good for all culinary preparations. It has yellow flesh, with superficial flower buds, is resistant to cooking, excellent for steaming and for the preparation of salads – continues Romano – As a new potato, it is also suitable for processing into chips “.
“The future goal is to establish a club with a specific brand for all Siena potatoes that are produced in Italy and will be traded on both the domestic and foreign markets. The variety adapts well to the Apulian region, on the red soils of the Ionian coasts it shows high yields and interesting flavor qualities, but other trials are continuing in other Italian areas, such as Sila (Calabria) or Avezzano (Abruzzo), where we hope to achieve important results in terms of both quality and production yields. regarding”.
For more information The Potato Company BV Web: www.tpc.nl
