In April, the seed potato trading houses made significant catching-up; in Europe in particular, a lot has been sold in 1 month's time. Nevertheless, less was exported this season than in the past 2 seasons. The main reason for this is the low ware potato price.
Nearly 140.000 tons were exported in April, significantly more than last year. At that time, almost 80.000 tons were exported. Recent figures from the Dutch Potato Organization (NAO) show that exports within the European Union (EU) have increased. Up to and including April, 412.000 tons have been exported to European destinations. In April, 125.000 tons were exported to European destinations. Ultimately, this meant that only 17.000 tonnes less was exported within the EU than in previous years.
Africa continues to excel and has imported more this season than last year. Nearly 190.000 tons of potters went to Africa. The exporters have especially done their best in Algeria, Libya and Sudan. More than 80.000 tons went to Algeria.
Fewer sales in Asia
Just like in America, less was sold in Asia. Syria in particular stands out; More than 7.000 fewer tons of seed potatoes were exported there. Despite the circumstances there, the seed potato trading companies have done their best for the land you need. A total of 10.000 tons less was exported to Asia.
More than 777.000 tons of seed potatoes have been exported until April. Just under 20.000 tons less than last season, and also 10.000 less than in 2016. There will not be much more exports, given that exports are 95% complete. The fact that less was exported is due to the low consumer potato price. Due to the low price, many growers plant non-certified potatoes. The lower yield in the pot size also plays a role.
Seed potato storage
The seed potato storage has held up well and is as good as over. Last season, the first seed potatoes were harvested in August. The storage season was therefore quite long. Still, storage specialists see that it has been a fairly easy storage season.
The mechanical cooling did not work overtime. It is advisable, now that all the potters are gone, to run the storage program, turn off the fans and close the hatches. It must also be further checked whether the storage is in order. For example, check the sensors and/or whether there are any defects.