Last year, although the rain delayed the Spanish new potato harvest, it also facilitated the harvesting as a result of the land's wetness. This year, despite the fact that the lack of rainfall in the region of Murcia has led to an earlier harvest, the soil's hardness has hampered the process; something which did not occur in Seville.
"Cartagena's potatoes are reaching the warehouses with more damage, increasing the discard rate by around 8% compared to a normal campaign. At the moment, between 25 and 30% of the total quota is being lost, which for us, as potato handlers, is a severe problem," says José Luis Gómez Pérez, president of the company Patatas Hijos de José Luis Gómez, of Hijolusa.
Nevertheless, this campaign, according to Jose Luis Gomez, is also characterised by the stability of the transition process from the French potatoes for storage to the new potatoes. Normally, as soon as the new potato harvest begins in Cartagena and Seville, the market still has a large stock of French potatoes for storage. This overlap often causes a delay in the start of the sale of the Spanish produce, as new potatoes usually reach higher prices.
However, this year, "the fact that French potatoes have reached relatively acceptable prices has resulted in the transition from French potatoes to Spanish new potatoes being very smooth as far as prices are concerned, as these have barely changed, allowing for new potatoes to be marketed soon and with a fairly ripe skin," points out José Luis Gómez. Consumption has also remained stable.
"Final consumers have been pleased to be able to purchase a potato of greater culinary quality without any price differences," he adds. "We believe that new potato prices will remain stable until mid-July, when we will start with Castile-Leon's potatoes."
At the moment, Hijolusa is marketing the Soprano, Bellini, Monalisa and Lucinda varieties from Cartagena, and the Monalisa, Lucinda and Marabel of Seville. "With five or six new potato varieties we can cover all market areas," says Jose Luis.
Hijolusa handles around 52,000 tonnes of potato per year, which are sold in the domestic market under its leading brand LA HUERTA DE DOÑA ROGELIA, working directly with distribution chains and wholesale markets. "We currently do not consider the possibility of exporting because we have a lot more control over the domestic market, where we are familiar with consumer habits in all geographic areas. We still have a long way to go in Spain."
For more information:
Patatas Hijos de José Luís Gómez
Ctra. León - Benavente, Km. 8. ONZONILLA, SPAIN
T: +34 987 215 634 - 987 260 103
administración@hijolusa.com
www.hijolusa.es