"It seems as if a large volume can still be harvested"
Belgium: Potato producers are relieved
“At last the weather conditions were in our favour and we could start the harvest. We were beginning to wonder if it would ever rain again. Although, I think it has rained enough for now,” says Bart Nemegheer of the Aardappelhoeve, laughing. “The best weather for the harvest is cloudy but not too cold.”
Harvest is still possible
“Everyone has immediately started harvesting with all the manpower they can get. Everything has to get out of the ground, preferably in record time. The temperatures are all right now and there is not too much rain, so everything is good. The weather should be dry for the harvest, because that is not possible when it is raining. If the temperature remains fine, it seems as if we can still get a large volume out of the soil. It is quite logical that the producers were afraid. The chance to actually harvest the potatoes got smaller and smaller and every day the weather remained dry. Besides, near the end of October, there is a much larger chance of night frost. Many producers had sleepless nights; there is a lot of money in the ground.”
High prices
“The prices are high and for now it will remain that way,” says Bart. “There is a lot of pressure on the short-term market and there is no good reason why the prices should be decreasing. The yield per hectare is not very high and there is still not enough volume on the market. There is hardly any free trade and the producers that supply the industry have a lot of trouble fulfilling their contracts. The prices are about 200 euros per ton.” And, for those people who think that the potato producers will be earning a lot of money: “That is definitely not the case. The yield per hectare is lower and during this season, more money has been used for the protection of the plants because of the weather conditions. The price is deservedly on a high level.”
For more information:
Bart Nemegheer
De Aardappelhoeve
Putterijstraat 7A
8700 Tielt (Belgium)
T. +32 - 051 40 25 00
F. +32 - 051 40 95 01
www.deaardappelhoeve.com