The harvested potatoes are currently arriving at the warehouse and are being tipped from the tractor-trailers onto a conveyor belt. The entire tractor can be raised at an angle for this purpose. "The weather conditions are ideal this year; we had a long growing season and the best harvest conditions in five years," says Weuthen CEO Ferdinand Buffen happily. The excellent harvest for almost all agricultural products will likely lead to lower prices for consumers, and Buffen expects some promotions in the food retail sector. "The 500-gram bag of French fries could be available in stores again for 99 cents," he speculates.
For producers, however, it has been a so-so year due to the harvest volumes and lower prices. "Producers can be thankful that they have a good harvest, but that doesn't mean they will get good prices. Surpluses are used as cow feed or in bioenergy plants. No potatoes are destroyed," emphasizes the Weuthen managing director. In addition, potatoes from Asia threaten the competitiveness of local producers, partly because energy costs are lower there, as cheap oil comes from Russia to China.
For more information:
https://www.weuthen-gmbh.de/
