The first Maltezer potatoes arrived at potato wholesaler Altena from Wijk and Aalburg yesterday evening. "The second truck will follow today and the third tomorrow," says Kees Schouten from Malta. "It is very good weather here and this immediately has large consequences for the potato production. There has been no rain here from mid November, and the kilos are disappointing. It was also dry during tuberisation and sometimes there are only two, three or four potatoes on a bush. The sorting is also a lot smaller."
Altena has been working with the Maltese potato company Quality Fruit & Vegetables, where Raphael Scerri rules. The Maltese potatoes are placed in rows by the harvester and then carried to the sorting and packing stations by hand in crates of 25kg. "So far we only supply Santé and small volumes of Aphas will soon follow. It will take a while before the larger volumes of Alphas arrive.
"Luckily, we have a reasonable amount of supply for the coming days and we can meet the Easter demand. It's always a matter of sharing out the first trucks, although the price difference with the Dutch harvest is considerable. But if we get good weather, the demand for the new import potatoes will soon break loose," concludes Kees.
More information:
Aardappelgroothandel Altena B.V.
Oude Kerkstraat 23
4261 BL Wijk en Aalburg
Tel: +31(0) 416 691241
Fax: +31(0) 416 692822
info@altena-bv.nl
www.altena-bv.nl