Trade remains stable in the retail sector, while home consumption has levelled off at a higher-than-average rate in recent weeks. The harvest began early this season, and many growers have now completed or nearly finished lifting, which has been welcomed across producing regions. However, reports continue of quality issues in early-planted main crop potatoes.
Across Europe, lifting operations are close to completion, though several growers have been forced to use temporary storage to clear fields. In some areas, potatoes remain unharvested as growers wait for storage space to become available. After earlier adverse weather conditions, there are concerns about how processing factories will assess crop quality. Rejection rates are described as "alarming" in some French fry plants, and buyers of the Innovator variety are turning to the free market to secure acceptable raw material.
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