The potato harvest is already underway in all of Castile-Leon. "In fact, we have already completed about 20% of it in the region," said Marco MartÃn, president of the Association of Potato Operators at Origin of Castile-Leon (Asopocyl). "The campaign kicked off early, at the beginning of July, and even in late June in some areas. There was initially a bit of uncertainty, because, when the campaign started, there were still potatoes from Andalusia, Murcia or the Levant available, but to our surprise, exports started, and France, Belgium and the Netherlands quickly absorbed the early varieties, making things even in the market and causing some product shortages and rising prices."
In 2022, Spain's potato acreage recorded a slight 0.7% rebound compared to the previous season, driven by the expansion in Galicia, which according to data from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (with data up to September 2022), was the autonomous region with the largest area devoted to potato cultivation in the country. However, Castile-Leon remained the largest producer, despite a 
5% reduction compared to the previous year, and a 13% drop compared to the average. It achieved this despite the climatic difficulties it faced, which reduced the yields at national level and brought the Spanish harvest to record lows, falling below 2 million tons per year for the first time.
"This year, the acreage in Castile-Leon will again be somewhat lower than last year. We estimate that there will be about 16,200 hectares. Yields will fall somewhat short, because we have dealt with all kinds of problems: cold, heat, hail, frost ... But still, the quality is quite good," said the manager of Patatas Pamaral.
"Potato prices are rising little by little in Castile-Leon"
The season in Castile-Leon has started in a very particular commercial context, following the campaign in the southern and Levant areas, where the lower yields as a result of drought and weather adversities caused prices at origin to rise to up to 70 cents per kilo. To get an idea of what this price means, in 2022, the average value of potato exports in Spain stood at 30 cents per kilo following a 27% year-on-year increase.
"It is very difficult to work with these price levels when you take the end customer into account, but the good of this, at least in Castile-Leon, is that when the supply increased, the expected price drops were not as great. We have gone from the 70 cents per kilo that were paid in Andalusia to 24-25 cents, which is not so bad."
"Moreover, they are currently going up little by little," says Marco. "This year, potatoes will have a rising market."
For more information:
Patatas Pamaral
C/ Revilla 1, 47430 Pedrajas de San Esteban
Valladolid, Spain
Tel.: +34 653 904 459
[email protected]
www.pamaral.es
