Global Potato Market, AI and the Future of Processing | International Potato Tour 2026 in Tbilisi
In Tbilisi, Georgia, the International Potato Tour 2026 brought together representatives of different parts of the potato industry: frozen potato products, chips production, regional processing, farming contracts, storage technologies and global market strategy. Host Viktor Kovalev spoke with Kristof Wallays from Agristo, Irakli Kordadze from Frixx, and Peter Van Dael from Roger & Roger, the company behind the Croky brand. The discussion started with the stories behind the brands: Agristo and its culture of “potatoholics”, the Croky parrot that became a symbol of the brand, and Frixx as a regional Caucasus chips brand built around freedom, identity and local origin. The conversation then moved to the key challenges of the global potato industry: overproduction, low prices, market cycles, dependence on export demand, storage losses, contract farming, artificial intelligence in processing, new technologies, seed production and the future of potato-based products. One of the main conclusions of the meeting: the potato market can no longer be managed only by intuition. The future belongs to those who work with data, forecasting, storage, contracts, technology and long-term strategy. The International Potato Tour continues. The next destinations include the Russian Far East, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Vladivostok and Siberia. Host: Viktor Kovalev Project: International Potato Tour 2026 Participants: Kristof Wallays — @agristonv Irakli Kordadze — @saxrashuno Peter Van Dael — Roger & Roger / Croky Subscribe to POTATOES NEWS and follow the International Potato Tour. 00:00 — International Potato Tour in Tbilisi: introduction of the guests 00:35 — Agristo: from Agrigel to Agristo and the story of “potatoholics” 01:49 — Croky: 60 years of the brand and the parrot on the packaging 03:09 — Frixx: freedom, freaks and the Caucasus identity 04:10 — Global potato market: why prices are under pressure 05:13 — Chips vs frozen fries: different markets, different logistics 06:24 — Agristo and the global frozen potato products market 07:44 — Overproduction, strong yields and market correction 08:37 — How many potatoes does the world really need? 09:11 — Georgian potato market and dependence on neighboring countries 09:55 — Contract farming as protection for farmers 10:37 — Storage problems in Georgia and losses in old warehouses 11:32 — People, labor shortage and the role of technology 12:15 — AI in processing: cameras and automatic peeling control 13:33 — Sorting chips by quality, color and defects 14:05 — AI at Agristo: shorter feedback loops and quality control 15:20 — Frixx: human inspection today and automation plans for the future 17:02 — Storage inhibitors, ethylene, mint oil and CIPC alternatives 18:00 — Why modern storage is critical for year-round potato quality 20:12 — Georgia’s experience in long-term potato storage 21:35 — Potato rice, potato noodles and new potato-based foods 22:17 — Potato as a sustainable crop with lower water demand 23:33 — Innovation in chips: new flavors and changing consumer tastes 24:34 — Georgian adjika flavor and healthier flavor trends 25:50 — What will the potato industry look like in 10 years? 26:33 — New breeding techniques, AI and healthier products 27:39 — Bigger players, automation and market uncertainty 29:14 — Viktor Kovalev’s forecast: cooperation, dry matter and correct data 31:25 — Seed production as one of the most promising sectors 32:22 — Thanks to DAMIAT Technology and the next destinations of the tour 33:16 — International Potato Tour continues #InternationalPotatoTour #IPT #InternationalPotatoTour2026 #PotatoesNews #ViktorKovalev #ExclusiveInterview #PotatoIndustry #GlobalPotatoMarket #PotatoMarket #PotatoProcessing #PotatoBusiness #PotatoFarming #PotatoStorage #ContractFarming #PotatoSupplyChain #PotatoTechnology #AIinAgriculture #AIinFoodProcessing #Agritech #FoodTech #FrozenPotatoProducts #FrenchFries #PotatoChips #Agristo #KristofWallays #Frixx #IrakliKordadze #RogerAndRoger #Croky #PeterVanDael #Georgia #Tbilisi #Caucasus #PotatoFuture #SeedPotatoes #PotatoInnovation #Agriculture #FoodIndustry #GlobalAgriculture
In Tbilisi, Georgia, the International Potato Tour 2026 brought together representatives of different parts of the potato industry: frozen potato products, chips production, regional processing, farming contracts, storage technologies and global market strategy. Host Viktor Kovalev spoke with Kristof Wallays from Agristo, Irakli Kordadze from Frixx, and Peter Van Dael from Roger & Roger, the company behind the Croky brand. The discussion started with the stories behind the brands: Agristo and its culture of “potatoholics”, the Croky parrot that became a symbol of the brand, and Frixx as a regional Caucasus chips brand built around freedom, identity and local origin. The conversation then moved to the key challenges of the global potato industry: overproduction, low prices, market cycles, dependence on export demand, storage losses, contract farming, artificial intelligence in processing, new technologies, seed production and the future of potato-based products. One of the main conclusions of the meeting: the potato market can no longer be managed only by intuition. The future belongs to those who work with data, forecasting, storage, contracts, technology and long-term strategy. The International Potato Tour continues. The next destinations include the Russian Far East, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Vladivostok and Siberia. Host: Viktor Kovalev Project: International Potato Tour 2026 Participants: Kristof Wallays — @agristonv Irakli Kordadze — @saxrashuno Peter Van Dael — Roger & Roger / Croky Subscribe to POTATOES NEWS and follow the International Potato Tour. 00:00 — International Potato Tour in Tbilisi: introduction of the guests 00:35 — Agristo: from Agrigel to Agristo and the story of “potatoholics” 01:49 — Croky: 60 years of the brand and the parrot on the packaging 03:09 — Frixx: freedom, freaks and the Caucasus identity 04:10 — Global potato market: why prices are under pressure 05:13 — Chips vs frozen fries: different markets, different logistics 06:24 — Agristo and the global frozen potato products market 07:44 — Overproduction, strong yields and market correction 08:37 — How many potatoes does the world really need? 09:11 — Georgian potato market and dependence on neighboring countries 09:55 — Contract farming as protection for farmers 10:37 — Storage problems in Georgia and losses in old warehouses 11:32 — People, labor shortage and the role of technology 12:15 — AI in processing: cameras and automatic peeling control 13:33 — Sorting chips by quality, color and defects 14:05 — AI at Agristo: shorter feedback loops and quality control 15:20 — Frixx: human inspection today and automation plans for the future 17:02 — Storage inhibitors, ethylene, mint oil and CIPC alternatives 18:00 — Why modern storage is critical for year-round potato quality 20:12 — Georgia’s experience in long-term potato storage 21:35 — Potato rice, potato noodles and new potato-based foods 22:17 — Potato as a sustainable crop with lower water demand 23:33 — Innovation in chips: new flavors and changing consumer tastes 24:34 — Georgian adjika flavor and healthier flavor trends 25:50 — What will the potato industry look like in 10 years? 26:33 — New breeding techniques, AI and healthier products 27:39 — Bigger players, automation and market uncertainty 29:14 — Viktor Kovalev’s forecast: cooperation, dry matter and correct data 31:25 — Seed production as one of the most promising sectors 32:22 — Thanks to DAMIAT Technology and the next destinations of the tour 33:16 — International Potato Tour continues #InternationalPotatoTour #IPT #InternationalPotatoTour2026 #PotatoesNews #ViktorKovalev #ExclusiveInterview #PotatoIndustry #GlobalPotatoMarket #PotatoMarket #PotatoProcessing #PotatoBusiness #PotatoFarming #PotatoStorage #ContractFarming #PotatoSupplyChain #PotatoTechnology #AIinAgriculture #AIinFoodProcessing #Agritech #FoodTech #FrozenPotatoProducts #FrenchFries #PotatoChips #Agristo #KristofWallays #Frixx #IrakliKordadze #RogerAndRoger #Croky #PeterVanDael #Georgia #Tbilisi #Caucasus #PotatoFuture #SeedPotatoes #PotatoInnovation #Agriculture #FoodIndustry #GlobalAgriculture