According to the latest forecast from the North American Potato Market News (NAPMN), the main crop in North America will be much lower than in 2016.
The NAPMN expects the harvest to be 400.000 tons lower. That would mean a decrease of almost 2,5%.
Volume forecast
The final figure for 2016 was set at almost 18,4 million tonnes. In 2017, the volume is expected to reach 18 million tons. In the 2015 harvest year, the final figure was also 18 million tons. So that is comparable to the expectations for this season.
Lower yield per hectare
In addition to the fact that the area of the main harvest in 2017 has shrunk slightly compared to the area in 2016, a lower average yield per hectare is expected. This is a decrease of 2,5%. That is compared to the 20-year average.
Compared to the 2016 harvest year, the average hectare yield would be almost 3% lower. The expected lower average hectare yield is mainly due to the slightly late planting season.