Sowing and Planting

Selection of plant varieties and market outlets

The production of food or raw materials for food production is always aimed at satisfying the needs of the customer. It is therefore important that the product meets the expectations of the consumer or processor.

Only then can a high unit price be achieved, overproduction of unwanted raw materials and costly storage be avoided while searching for profitable markets. On the other hand, it is essential to strike a balance and appropriately manage plant selection to take into account both market needs and soil fertility building. The market is increasingly dictating what type of variety or variety of a particular plant species is worth growing. The exceptions, where there is no such dictate, are still the cultivation of cereals and maize for fodder and oilseed rape. The dictates of the market are manifested in the following:

  • cultivation of only recommended, proven varieties for cultivation and processing, e.g. potatoes for chips and crisps, malting barley, sugar beet,
  • the possibility of disposing of only good-quality raw material, although the purchase of only recommended varieties, e.g. wheat or rye varieties, has not yet been introduced,
  • the possibility of selling only tried-and-tested, well-known and recognised varieties on local markets, wholesale markets and in shops, e.g. the general-purpose potato.

In the latter case, there is still a very large group of dishonest traders selling different varieties than they officially declare. A way of limiting dishonest sales of, for example, adulterated potato varieties, could be to require presentation of a document that confirms the registration of a plantation of that variety with the Provincial Inspectorate for Plant and Seed Protection.