“We work with a very large grower here and because he had invested in modern cold storage facilities, we have been able to offer only domestic potatoes to our customers.”
Importing potatoes is always an expensive venture due to the fact that potatoes are not an expensive product, so transport takes a large chunk of the margin.
"The quality this year was average so there have been two prices on the market, one for lesser and one for better quality. The price has been increasing throughout the season, but I expect it to stabilise soon once we make the switch to new potatoes." said Łukasz.
The domestic new potato season has been delayed, by around 2 weeks, because the of the cold weather during April and earlier this month. Usually starting at the beginning of June, it is expected to start now in the middle of the month. In the meantime, Bugaj has been importing from Cyprus, Spain and Italy.
When asked if the cold weather would have an impact on the coming season, Łukasz replied, "There doesn't seem to have been much damage because of the cold weather, but we have been having a lot of rain which could cause quality issues like rot. We will just have to wait and see what happens once we harvest."
The domestic potato season in Poland runs from July-September.
For more information:Lukasz Ostrowicz
Bugaj Sp Zoo
Tel: +48 698 678 536
Fax: +48 44 680 9525
Email: lukasz.ostrowicz@fhbugaj.pl