Torsten Spill has been appointed as the new managing director of German potato companies Saka Pflanzenzucht GbR and Solana Agrarprodukte GmbH, both of which are located in Hamburg.

Mr Spill, who had previously spent eleven years with Dole Fresh FruitEurope in the capacity of general manager, will take over the positionon 1 December 2008, the groups said in a statement.

The Saka group is one of the leading private companies in breeding and marketing high performance potato varieties, as well as a producer and supplier of seed potatoes.

Solana acts as the exclusive export organisation of Saka, serving its worldwide customer base.