Last year, potato wholesaler RTL Patat from Menen, Belgium, started the first Belgian potato pool (link to Dutch article). In the Netherlands, this has existed for a while. Owner Rik Tanghe talks about how things are now. “Multiple growers have signed up with us now. Our goal is to have higher average daily prices. That’s very tricky this year, due to the low daily prices and difficult market circumstances. I still have high hopes for a price change at the end of the season, in particular due to the good quality of the potatoes.”
More is being sold based on contracts in Belgium in recent years. The majority is meant for industry. This is quite challenging for traders, because it’s difficult to exceed contract prices. Rik: “There’s little to no day trading. Hardly anything is happening and most growers have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. Some is exported, both overseas and within Europe. However, it’s so little it’s hardly worth mentioning.”
Besides the Belgian location, RTL Patat also has a branch in Breskens, the Netherlands. This location mostly deals with onions meant for export.
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RTL Patat