According to Freshplaza, Europe is likely to have to turn to imports to cover a shortfall in potato production.
Dutch growers, who saw harvest delayed by dry conditions, are now struggling with too much rain in places, and one Dutch trader told the website, “Potato exports were booming at the start of the season, including towards new destinations. However, currently, due to all the increased costs, potatoes are becoming too expensive for some destinations, especially African countries.”
In Belgium, the drought has also significantly reduced yields. “We do trial harvests every year and what we had feared is becoming the truth this year,” said another trade. “2018 was a bad year for yield, but this year’s crop is even a bit lower than that. The current price level is so high that it is very tempting for growers with free potatoes to part with their potatoes now, catch a good price and keep storage costs at zero.”
Meanwhile in France yields so far have also been below average, with sales described as ‘moderate.’ Closer to home, the website said that ‘In the UK recent rainfall has given some crops a boost and improved yields have been seen in the West Midlands. In the East, rain has been too late to make any significant difference. Agronomists note that some later varieties including Markies and Melody have “greened up” but now have lower dry matter and signs of secondary growth.’
Meanwhile the latest Agricultural Land Use statistics from Defra suggest that the area of potatoes decreased by 9.1%, falling to 93 thousand hectares in 2022. The figure was met with surprise by some observers. Produce Solutions posted a graph ‘using the previous disparity between DEFRA and AHDB quoted figures for planted area’ which suggests they feel the UK planted area is closer to 103,000 hectares.