Once again this year, PotatoEurope established itself as an international meeting place for the global potato sector. Organiser DLG reports that more than 10,000 visitors from 79 countries attended the event on 9 and 10 September in Gestorf, northern Germany, near Hanover. Among those present were growers, contractors, advisers, suppliers, as well as numerous representatives from industry and trade, who came to learn about the latest innovations in harvesting, sorting and packaging technology, as well as a range of other key topics within the sector.

© Andries Gunter | FreshPlaza.com

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Trade visitors overwhelmingly positive
According to the initial results of the visitor survey, 96 per cent of visitors were, on the whole, very satisfied with the event. More than 95 per cent rated the new exhibition concept, in which PotatoEurope was combined for the first time with the sugar beet event SugarBeet Expo, positively. This high level of satisfaction is also reflected in the intention to return: 73 per cent intend to visit the next edition on German soil in 2030.

The willingness to invest within the sector has increased considerably following the difficult 2025/26 potato season: 68 per cent of visitors plan to invest in new technology over the next two years. Furthermore, this year’s event had a strong international character and attracted exhibitors and trade visitors from around the world. Around half of the exhibitors and nearly a third of the visitors came from abroad. Regions such as North Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia were also represented. This indicates that potatoes are continuing to gain ground globally.

A successful addition to the programme
The SugarBeet Expo, which took place concurrently for the first time, proved to be an addition to the exhibition programme. Both sectors face similar challenges in many respects, such as the spread of the cicada, increasing demands for efficiency and the growing labour shortage in Germany and Europe. Digitalisation and automation offer partial relief in this regard and are therefore steadily gaining ground. “Potatoes and sugar beet have more in common than they have differences. Both crops place high demands on cultivation, technology and management, and must at the same time be produced economically and efficiently. This is where the added value of this combined event comes into its own: it brings together two major crops and the people behind them in one place,” emphasises Wilfried Wolf, project manager of PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo.

Customer engagement and in-depth discussions in one location
“For us at GAUGELE GmbH, this year’s PotatoEurope was exactly the right place to engage directly with growers, not over the phone or by email, but whilst enjoying a cup of coffee at the stand. Particularly when it comes to harvesting, storage and industry trends, these face-to-face conversations are invaluable. This customer engagement and in-depth discussions all in one place are what give this trade fair its unique added value,” says Franz Behm, technical office assistant at GAUGELE GmbH.

Jörg Renatus, managing director of plant breeding company EUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht GmbH, agrees. “For us, PotatoEurope is one of the most important networking opportunities within the potato sector. As the trade fair only takes place in Germany every four years, it was almost a home game for us this time. We are all the more delighted with the excellent response from visitors. The high level of technical expertise and the large proportion of international visitors were particularly positive for us. We were able to present our new variety innovations and, in doing so, hold numerous interesting and in-depth discussions with customers, partners and interested parties from both Germany and abroad. As far as we are concerned, it was therefore a successful and very well-organised trade fair in every respect.”

Further information:
https://digital.potatoeurope.de/