The early potato season is currently in full swing. "Due to weather conditions, there were difficulties with harvesting Cypriot potatoes in March and April. This was accompanied by night frosts at the end of February, which in some cases led to losses of up to 50 per cent. Nevertheless, the available quantities were sufficient to adequately supply our regular customers. In this respect, supply and demand have been almost in balance so far," reports Marco Stahl, potato wholesaler at the Stuttgart wholesale market and specialist supplier of early potatoes from Cyprus.
Due to the weather, the main harvest, which normally gets underway in mid- to late March, was also slightly delayed this year. Stahl: "The relatively late Easter came in our favor here; otherwise, it might have been tight. Now we haven't had any delivery problems at all." Demand has been consistently satisfactory since Easter until Mother's Day (11.05). "We currently expect business to remain good until the end of the month. Prices will also fall slightly in the coming weeks."
Prices are currently above last year's levels. In addition, the volume purchased per customer is quite low, which is contributing to hesitant sales. However, this trend can be observed across the fruit and vegetable trade in general, according to Stahl, who also runs a regular wholesale market with a full range of products.
Initially, a better harvest and correspondingly higher export volumes had been expected, Stahl confirmed. "Normally, Cypriot Annabelle potatoes are available until the end of June or early July. This year, we will have to end the season a little earlier, probably around mid-June. However, according to the producer, harvesting will continue for another three to four weeks." The frost also affected the size of the potatoes. "We usually have numerous oversized potatoes at the end of the season. That won't be the case this year. However, this is rather advantageous for us, as medium-sized potatoes are particularly popular in Germany."
Outside the Balkan region, Germany is one of the most important export markets for Cypriot early potatoes. The Annabelle variety, in particular, has become indispensable on the wholesale markets.
The Tsiourvas company has been importing and distributing Cypriot early potatoes for many years. These are red-skinned, mostly unwashed tubers from small-scale farms. "I would describe Cypriot early potatoes as premium quality. Although it is a niche product, it has become well established over the years so that we now serve a wide range of customers throughout Germany via mail order. At the beginning of the season, I notice that the north typically starts a little earlier, while the south usually follows two to three weeks later," concludes Stahl.
For more information:
Marco Stahl
Tsiourvas GmbH & Co. KG
Stuttgart Wholesale Market
Tel: +49 711 90 11 08 11
[email protected]
http://www.tsiourvas.de