In 2022 the Lueneburg-based company EUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht GmbH celebrates its 30th anniversary. With its founding in 1992, Kartoffelzucht Böhm GmbH & Co. KG, Vereinigte Saatzuchten eG, Raiffeisen Centralheide eG and RAISA eG laid the foundation for an innovative distribution concept for seed potatoes. Today, the company is one of the world’s most important suppliers of seed potatoes of innovative varieties.
Jörg Eggers, Managing Director of EUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht GmbH, proudly looks back on the company’s successful history: “In 1992, we started selling our shareholders’ potato varieties in Eastern Germany and some export markets. In 2002 we took over the worldwide distribution rights. With the trade of table and industrial potatoes, we added another business sector in 2005.”
EUROPLANT began to develop internationally at an early stage. The first subsidiary for sales and multiplication was founded in Slovakia in 1993. Today, the group of companies has a network of 13 subsidiaries and associated companies and is active in over 70 countries.
The EUROPLANT Group currently has more than 250 employees. It sells worldwide about 260,000 tonnes of seed potatoes, therefore 145,000 tonnes on the German market.
“Together with our sister company, Böhm-Nordkartoffel Agrarproduktion GmbH & Co. OHG, we are constantly working to develop new and innovative varieties,” says Managing Director Jörg Renatus. The focus is on improving natural resistance to potato diseases and pests, strengthening resilience to environmental influences and increasing cultivation efficiency.
“And all this, of course, combined with strong characteristics of the varieties, such as taste, appearance and storability,” Renatus enthuses.
The EUROPLANT range now includes more than 100 varieties for table, processing and starch production. Planting material for organic cultivation is propagated from more than 30 varieties. EUROPLANT varieties offer the solution for the diverse requirements of customers worldwide.
“A long-term, trust based and fair cooperation with our customers is our top priority,” says Eggers. “We promise our farmers to achieve the best possible harvest success. They can rely on our varieties and seed potatoes.”
The anniversary celebration will take place in September 2022 as part of the “Potato Europe” trade fair in Bockerode near Hanover.
