POTATOSEED SOLYNTA (IEU GT2)

The potato is a vital crop for human consumption and plays a key role to achieve global food security. The seed-based potato production chain is less vulnerable to diseases and pests as well as transport and storage related damages than the traditional tuber-based cultivation system. The operation will finance the promoter's research, development and innovation (RDI) activities as well as commercialisation of the new hybrid True Potato Seed (HTPS) varieties. These new diploid potato seeds, as an alternative to the traditional use of tubers for propagation, offer improved traits such as enhanced disease and drought resistance.

The EIB loan will support and accelerate the promoter's RDI efforts, aimed at generating significant positive externalities in environmental sustainability and enhancing the resilience of agricultural land management. If successful, the project has the potential to greatly improve the economics of potato production by minimising crop losses throughout all stages of cultivation, while also significantly reducing the need for chemical plant protection applications.

The project is in line with the InvestEU objective of Sustainable Bioeconomy. The potato is a key crop for human consumption and for achieving global food security. The proposed operation concerns the financing of the promoter's RDI related to new hybrid True Potato Seed (HTPS) varieties. The seed-based potato production is a disruptive model, less vulnerable to diseases and pests as well as to transport and storage related damages than the traditional tuber-based cultivation system. The project (i) supports the promoter in a critical early stage of the technology development, as obtaining financing at this stage in the private market is very difficult at the scale needed, (ii) increases farmers' competitiveness and resilience to climate change through the creation of high-performance new crop seed varieties, (iii) supports the research activities of a European seed producer. If successful, the project has an enormous potential to improve the economics of potato crop production not only by reducing crop losses at all steps of cultivation, but also by a significant reduction in chemical plant protection applications.

The targeted development of new HTPS varieties enable adaption of cropping systems and retention of agricultural productivity in continuously changing agroclimatic conditions that will have to resist more frequent abiotic and biotic stresses and be resource-efficient crops, mitigating, thus, the forthcoming scarcity of natural resources. The RDI programme is therefore considered 100 % Climate Action adaptation. The operation is aligned with the farm to fork strategy within the EU green deal and at the same time ensures that farmers retain sufficient profitability to remain viable businesses.

Finally, the retention of know-how and research capacity in agricultural biotechnology within the EU can be considered of strategic importance in global markets with the aim of improving EU innovation competitiveness in the agro-food industry. The creation of new type of field crop seed varieties and the skills development and upgrading will generate significant positive knowledge, technology and environmental externalities. The project would not have been carried out (to the same extent) by the EIB without the support of InvestEU.

The project RDI activities will take place within the promoter's research centres in the EU, predominantly in the Netherlands. Compliance with all relevant national and EU environmental legislation will be thoroughly verified during the appraisal process. Where applicable, environmental studies or assessments will be conducted, and appropriate mitigation and/or compensation measures will be implemented as needed.

The promoter is a private company not operating in the utilities sector, not a concessionaire and does not hold the status of a contracting entity, and as such, is not subject to EIB's public procurement rules.