A lot of rain has fallen in the last few days. Due to this there will be a yield loss for the new potatoes. "If the water remains between the rows for longer than 24 hours, you can consider the potatoes lost. This is certainly the case in the lower plots," says Bart Nemegheer of the Aardappelhoeve. "We are currently working on pumping the water out, so that we can limit the damage."
Demand higher than supply
He indicates that the doom and gloom isn't just in Belgium. "Germany has also been plagued by plentiful rainfall and there is talk of damage, albeit local. All in all there is certainly a good demand for Spanish and Italian premier potatoes with good prices as a results. Everyone sees that the west European harvest will be later and that there can be quality problem due to the heavy rain. Normally there is a rising supply around this time of the year when they start the harvest in various countries, but this year the demand is higher than the supply. The prices are high, around 67 and 70 cents for chip potatoes."
The market is being pulled from all sides
Another cause of the smaller available supply is the situation in Spain. "The large supermarket chain Mercadona has decided to also carry the new Spanish harvest. In the past Spain mainly exported the new harvest to other countries and little was intended for the domestic market. They would then get the old harvest from France. When such a large retailer makes a decision like that, you immediately notice it in the supply. The market is being pulled from all sizes."
For more information:
Bart Nemegheer
De Aardappelhoeve
Putterijstraat 7A
8700 Tielt - Belgium
T: +32-477 291784
F: +32- 514 09501
www.deaardappelhoeve.be
bart@deaardappelhoeve.be