Of the EU-5 and Poland, only France and Belgium have already completed their potato harvest. In the other countries a small part still has to be harvested. The rain is not too bad and the frost does not persist.
In Poland, most French fries potatoes are still in the ground, according to statistics from Aviko Potato; at the beginning of November, about 10% was still in the ground. For the Netherlands, Aviko estimates the percentage harvested at approximately 93%. In Germany and the United Kingdom, the clearing work is slightly more advanced. If we compare the current figures with those of the 2016 and 2015 harvest, no enormous differences can be discovered.
Northeast not ready
A lot still needs to be done, especially in the Northern Netherlands. Plots are saturated and harvesting is difficult. Aviko figures show that at the end of week 44 almost 85% had been cleared.
Insiders confirm that there are still relatively many potatoes in the ground, especially in the northeast. In Gelderland, 10% still needs to be cleared. In all other growing regions the harvest is on its last legs. Aviko only marked South Flevoland as complete.
Wet north
In September and early October, Poland fell behind. Thanks to good harvest weather, a lot has been made up for, but the work is not yet finished. It also rained again last week. In Northern Germany, wetness causes delays. Arable farmers have difficulty making progress and the quality is moderate to poor.
Hollow, wet rot, grub damage and a low underwater weight (OWG) are discussed. A strip running from the North Holland North Sea coast to the Baltic States has been wet all summer and autumn. Denmark also has to deal with this.
Lack of storage
In the United Kingdom, the potato harvest continues until mid-November. Conditions are good in the east, but in the west and north it is wet. In Scotland, the (seed) potato harvest is 2 weeks behind schedule. Low temperatures and night frost don't really spoil things. Growers have more problems finding storage capacity for the last 5% of their acreage. Selling potatoes freely appears to be impossible, just like on the European mainland.
Frost no problem
Night frost occurred for the first time in many places on the night of Monday 6 to Tuesday 7 November. Then the nighttime temperatures rise again to 4 to 6 degrees. This is also the case in Germany and Poland. It remains fairly sunny and dry.