The expected production should reach 1.5 million tons which, when combined with a 5-7% drop in production, this means we will have to look abroad for 400,000 tons.
Actually, according to Chiesa, the situation is not as bad as people make it out to be.
"This happens throughout the entire year. The fact is, that potato consumption is quite rigid, i.e. people do not eat more if the price is lower. Tubers are now being sold at ridiculous prices, so much so that the entire chain suffers. This is no longer a question of covering production costs, because nobody even makes a profit."
"In the next five-six winter months, we must try to obtain the maximum from a market that seems to be hardly receptive. We must plan a system strategy to avoid years like this one and create a chain in which producers grow high quality products, packers manage costs correctly and distributors apply a transparent price policy."
Contacts:
Romagnoli F.lli spa
Roberto Chiesa
Via Quarto di Sopra 1/7
40127 Bologna
Tel.: (+39) 051 6069616
Fax: (+39) 051 6069608
Email: roberto.chiesa@evita.eu
Web: www.romagnolipatate.it