Domestic potato offers continued to dominate the market for potatoes. According to the BLE, availability was generally sufficient to meet demand. The quality was mostly convincing. Prices in Frankfurt rose slightly. In Cologne, on the other hand, they fell slightly. Loads from the Netherlands and France added to the range of goods in some places. The presence of Cypriot Annabelle increased. However, due to their high prices, they did not generate consistently positive attention. In terms of price, not much happened, with valuations often remaining stable.
Meanwhile, the final land use figures for 2024 have also been published by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis): 282,200 hectares of potato acreage were registered this year. This is 7,100 hectares less than predicted in August 2024. However, compared to the previous year 2023, when the area was still 264,700 hectares, this represents an increase of 17,500 hectares.
Rhineland-Palatinate:
Potato market turnover is restrained, as is typical for the season. Retailers are trying to boost sales with promotions and larger packages (10 or 12.5 kg) at consumer prices of around 50 EUR/dt. There is slight pressure on supply from the surplus areas, while producer prices remain firm. Direct marketers are also reporting calm business in their farm shops.
Lower Saxony:
The cool weather of the last week and food retail promotions have boosted potato sales, reports the BVNON in its latest market commentary.
Sales of table potatoes in recent weeks were characterized by good export figures. Producer prices rose at the beginning of the year, according to the new Marktradar from Heidesand eG. Meanwhile, almost exclusively contracted goods are being ordered for industrial potatoes. The volume of orders has increased significantly. Non-contracted goods are also trading more firmly.
North Rhine-Westphalia:
Sales in the potato market remain consistently encouraging. Over the next few weeks, there will be a transition to premium table potatoes from the box cold store. The industrial potato market is dynamic. The REKA quotation has been raised again significantly.
Schleswig-Holstein:
The potato market situation is currently described as calm. Demand did not drop as sharply as feared after the holiday season. Also, there are hardly any loads of poor quality in the warehouses in this country at the moment, so the focus is now on the good quality loads. For this reason, the range of producer prices continues to narrow as the lower range has been raised again. According to market participants, further storage surcharges are to be expected in the second half of the month. On the EEX, potato prices continued to rise slowly but steadily, with the result that the most actively traded April contract is now just under 31 EUR/dt. This level was last reached in August last year and there are currently no signs of a decline in prices.
Bavaria:
Per capita, potato consumption in the 1990s was still 75 kg. Today it is only 66.5 kg. A lot has changed during this period: daily routines, families, cooking, and time. "It is therefore absolutely essential to advertise a staple food in this day and age," said project manager Claudia Steininger, who presented the current projects of the 2013-founded marketing campaign 'Bavarian Potato' at the Herbstdialog in Herrsching.