Robert Burns at Fruit Logistica.
For Potato Council UK, the main destination remains Egypt, where it achieved record exports this season, with shipments totalling 53,000 tonnes; 3,000 tonnes more than in the previous year. “Egypt takes 70-80% of our production, but in order to diversify we are always on the lookout for new markets, and we recently opened up Vietnam and Cuba,” affirms Robert.
Regarding Cuba, a bilateral agreement was signed before the recent political developments with the U.S., and according to Robert, “The country has shown an interest in European varieties, which offers opportunities to explore this market. Cubans will additionally have the chance to import American varieties, which are different from ours.”
Diversification is, in any case, inescapable in a global marketplace currently marked by oversupply, with over 200,000 tonnes more than last year, which has led to volatile pricing. “Growers, who have to balance risk, have to be certain that their production is contracted so they can obtain a guaranteed price for it. The problem, perhaps, is that we are too focused on fresh and we have to look more at processing and seed production,” stresses Robert.
Proof of this is that per capita consumption rates for fresh potatoes across Europe have been on a decline, while processed consumption has gone up. Robert states that, “There are plenty of convenience products, such as frozen jacket potatoes or cottage pie with mashed potatoes, which all come from the processing industry. It’s a sign of a change in people’s habits.”
For more information:
Robert Burns
Potato Council
Tel: +44 (0)131 472 4064
Email: robert.burns@potato.ahbd.org.uk
www.potato.org.uk