“Expensive potatoes a restraint on exports”

Which direction will the potato market take? According to Henk van den Berg, from potato wholesaler’s LP Kranenburg, it is difficult to say just now. “The market is slow and expensive. Chip potatoes find their way, and factories will make sure they have and keep sufficient amounts of potatoes, but this question concerns potatoes that are not suitable to be chips. Ours are currently the most expensive potatoes in Europe. That is putting a restraint on exports.”

“It is very uncertain, to me, how the market will develop. No one knows what the exact stocks are. Far less harvesting happened in the southwest, harvests were normal in the polders and here, in the Haarlemmer-meerpolder, the harvest was downright good occasionally,” Van den Berg continues. “Everyone could put a halt to business, but the period during which to profit from potatoes has become smaller in recent years. You could halt everything, but when you have quality problems, it will not make much difference.”

“Exports will be a big influence. Poland has an enormous surplus, and is currently blocking our way regarding, for example, Eastern bloc destinations. The Eastern bloc gets its potatoes for 9 to 10 cents from Poland, ours are twice as expensive. For that matter, it is difficult enough to make a profit from that. I think it is a little frightening that everyone says they are going to be expensive. I am definitely not saying potatoes will be cheap, but you can only start cheering when you have got the money in your hands,” Van den Berg concludes.

For more information:
Henk van den Berg
LP Kranenburg
Rijnlanderweg 1637
2153 KH Nieuw-Vennep, the Netherlands
Tel: +31 252 620 060
info@lpkranenburg.nl
www.lpkranenburg.nl