Experts from the James Hutton Institute have stated that the United Kingdom faces the danger of being surpassed as a centre for potato sustainability research, for example, by a country like China, unless it embraces the latest technologies. The institute’s facility near Dundee, which is currently working on a national potato innovation centre, has highlighted the need for more progress in the field of potato sustainability.
“If we don’t take action, you will see that China will have invested significantly in potato science,” says Lesley Torrance, Scientific Director of the James Hutton Institute. “The Chinese have elevated the potato to a key element in their food security campaign. We are likely to be overtaken.”
This comes at a time when growers are being challenged to move away from the use of chemical crop protection agents.