As Easter approaches, the European potato market is still on the hunt for a good-quality product with which to reach the end of the season. "I've called it a puzzle before, and it remains so," begins Jurgen Duthoo of Warnez Potatoes in Belgium. "It seems the new crop will arrive a little later due to a cold, wet March. That will only widen the gap."
The challenging growing season means many packers struggle to control quality. "That was predicted months ago and now appears to have become reality. Monitoring storage quality and getting the right batches out at the right time is vital. Though, I think that's the general market situation," says Jurgen.
That is why some packaging facilities are already looking at replacement batches to fill programs. "However, there aren't many of those available locally either, especially regarding ware potatoes. That which is available from, particularly France, remains very pricey. And it's only early April, so we still have a few months to cover."
New potatoes must fill the gap
"There are Egyptian early potatoes on the Eastern and Southern European markets and some Cypriot ones in Belgian stores. We'll try to work with local crops for as long as possible, but the early potatoes have to fill the gap somehow. These potatoes always characterize the period around Easter," Jurgen continues.
"But that availability, too, is still extremely limited. Some countries can already harvest some, but that still seems to be mainly for local markets. It'll take some time before there's sufficient availability of the new crops from Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Plus, it remains to be seen what these will be priced at."
Nonetheless, Warnez's exports continued well last month. "There's some movement, though mainly niche activities. Some customers need specific products, and whoever has that available at the best price gets those orders. In that respect, there was some competition towards Eastern Europe from countries like Germany and Poland in, primarily, the unwashed segment. Still, looking at all the transactions, it was an excellent month," says Duthoo.
Fewer exports around Easter
Belgian retail demand always peaks around Easter. "There's more demand for potatoes because it's commonly served at Easter dinner. Meal boxes are in high demand, too. This segment keeps growing steadily every month and is becoming an increasing share for us. People love the convenience. These are smaller packages, but also nice volumes for us, so we adapt our production process to the changing market demand."
For exports, though, Easter is a somewhat quieter time at the potato packing company. "Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter a week apart, so the first two weeks of April will be somewhat quieter. That's partly due to the reduced availability of trucks around that time, which certainly has an impact. But, after mid-April, I expect more movement in the market, and the puzzle will resume," Jurgen concludes.
For more information:
Jurgen Duthoo
Warnez Potatoes
2L Marialoopsesteenweg
B-8700, Tielt, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 514 00 812
Email: info@warnezpotatoes.be
Website: www.warnezpotatoes.be