“The potato market is in movement. Due to increased exports, prices are rising slightly every week. There is a lot of demand for a good quality consumption potato. The market is also good in France, because Spain is currently buying a lot of French potatoes, "says Bart Nemegheer of De Aardappelhoeve. “The demand from the industry is also rising slightly, but they are still hindered by parties that are less tenable. This causes the price to rise somewhat cautiously. "
Ruben and Bart Nemegheer from De Aardappelhoeve
Due to the weather conditions of last fall, the European potato sector was not able to harvest until quite late. This caused some storage problems during the New Year. "Because of the wet weather, there were some parties that did not dry well and started to rot. All those potatoes have now been cleared," says Bart. “In Belgium, all potatoes have now been harvested, but this year we have somewhat lower than average yields. The high temperatures during the summer certainly had an impact on production. "
“Sweet potatoes remain a tale of growth. Sales are on the rise and the product is now available everywhere. Sweet potato is a versatile product, so many people like to consume it. Sweet potato used to be seen as an exotic product, but nowadays it is grown locally. We see that many suppliers are switching to Belgian sweet potato instead of the imported product. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for buyers and consumers," says Nemegheer. “Although the cultivation of sweet potatoes is still in its infancy, the product is doing well in Belgium. We are currently doing pioneering work by looking at which varieties are best here, but so far the sweet potato is doing very well locally. "
De Aardappelhoeve is present at Fruit Logistica and is located in Hall 27 / A-08.
For more information:
Bart Nemegheer
De Aardappelhoeve 
Putterijstraat 7A
8700 Tielt (Belgium)
+32 (0) 477 29 17 84
bart@deaardappelhoeve.be
www.deaardappelhoeve.be