The Ex-Director of J.R. Simplot and team leader at Monsanto, Caius Rommens, has revealed the hidden dangers of the GMO potatoes he created, in a wide ranging interview for Sustainable Pulse, on the same day that his book ‘Pandora’s Potatoes: The Worst GMOs’ was released on Amazon.

Everyone loves mashed potatoes. They’re the perfect comfort food in winter and for when you’re really hungry because they’re quick and easy to make. Unfortunately, they’re also full of butter, which is bad for your waistline and for the health of your heart.

In South Africa, potato is grown in both winter and summer in a wide range of climates. Climate change in potato production areas of South Africa is expected to lead to higher temperatures, increasing the incidence of heat stress and dry spells.

At any science fair, you're almost guaranteed to see at least two go-to experiments: the clichéd papier-mâché volcano and the ever-popular pickle or potato battery. Many people may think it's amazing that a simple piece of produce can conduct electricity. As it turns out, that's not the whole story.

We’ve decided to remove the “potato” from your mashed potatoes. Yes, this may seem odd at first, but chances are you might not even notice! You may even like them better! They will be healthier, quite a bit tastier, and have way fewer carbs.

In 2017, the amount of frozen potatoes exported worldwide totaled X tonnes, increasing by X% against the previous year. In general, the total exports indicated a prominent increase from 2007 to 2017: it volume increased at an average annual rate of +X% over the last decade.

Last summer, the heat kept many parts of Europe in its grip. The persistent summer temperatures had a direct impact on the potato harvest. Lower yields were reported in Northern European countries, but how is the situation now? Will there be an early end to the North European season?

Without the aid of food processing, we would not have the convenience of the large variety of food products available in supermarkets and other food outlets.

Widespread and prolonged rain over the eastern parts of South Africa has disrupted the Free State potato harvest, reducing supplies on the market and driving a consequent strong increase in price: over two days last week the daily average national price on a 10kg bag of potatoes rose by 43%.

AGRI Trends- for the week of June 2019 

The dry weather has left its mark in Europe this year. There is little demand for potatoes on the market, although it is now starting to recover.

Potato production in South Africa has increased by an average 2.1% per annum over the past 20 years, according to the BFAP Baseline Agricultural Outlook for the period 2019 to 2028.

In 2016, Hutchinsons soil consultant Ed Brown visited 85 farms in the West Midlands to get a better picture of the state of soils in the area, looking at soil structure, worm numbers, cultivation and muck use, and also how root crops affected soil health.

The South African potato industry, which competes in yield and quality with the best in the world, is keen to explore the prospects of increased global trade in potatoes.

The revenue of the frozen potato market in the UK amounted to $1.5B in 2018, declining by -2.1% against the previous year.

The Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) has started testing True Potato Seeds, which are produced by Solynta, a Dutch firm that develops hybrid potatoes.

The world's potato production growth stagnated in 2018 and couldn't recover in 2019, according to a statement that the World Potato Congress made on February 20.

The potato market in Europe is now clearly divided between north and south.

EU Consumption by Country

In Europe, the heat has caused a decrease in the consumption of potatoes, but also in the regrowth of new potatoes in the field.