Growers, who did not enter into contracts but speculated, did not do well last year. The decrease in price was enormous. The continually upwards corrected harvest quantities are the cause, there is hardly any demand for free trade. And when there is demand unacceptable prices of three Euro/100 kgs.are given. The storage sheds in neighbouring countries are full, which also pushes the price down.
Lower Saxony
Many potatoes, which come from storage at the moment, are as far as quality is concerned no longer fit for processing and can only be used as fodder or in bio-gas installations. More and more potatoes from cooling come onto the market. In most cases growers' prices remain stable. Growers in the region Burgdorf have already started planting of early potatoes again at the end of February. And with this they are slightly earlier than last year.
Austria
In Austria the export of large sized potatoes is still doing well. Although the export is a little more quiet than previously as a result of very favourable offers from France and Germany. The marketing department of Landbouwschap Niederösterreich announced that the growers prices for consumption potatoes are unchanged. The price for middle sized potatoes is nine to ten euro/100 kgs. Large potatoes normally only fetch two Euro/100 kgs. Potatoes with GlobalGap hallmark have for a while already a minimum price of twelve Euro/100 kgs. In Burgenland the new season will start in the next few days. Also in Lower Austria the new potato year started last week-end.