The early potato harvest in Andalusia, located in the south of Spain, has been delayed and smaller than expected.
The early potato harvest has already started in the area. However, the campaign in the area has been delayed by 15 days, according to the potato committee FEPEX and various regional authorities. Expectations about the harvest are different; some claim that the harvest will be 50% less, while regional authorities estimate the total harvest at 146.000 tons. That is about 33% less than the 220.000 tons harvested in 2017.
Cool and wet
The reasons for this include the weather and changes in the area. In March the area was cooler than normal and there was a lot of rain. Rain also exceeded average amounts in April. Yields of 25 tons per hectare are expected.
The potato areas in the area are estimated at between 5.500 and 6.500 hectares and are decreasing. The potato committee FEPEX estimated that the area in Andalusia has fallen by 20%. For the regions of Castile and León this represents a decrease of 10%.
Increasing exports
Most of Spain's potatoes are grown in Andalusia. Total Spanish exports amounted to almost 2017 tons in 300.000. In 2018, exports grew significantly in the first 2 months of this year (+44%).
Spain is also one importer of potatoes. The fact that there are more potatoes in stock in the country is evident from the smaller quantity that went from the Netherlands to Spain. Last season, 14.000 tons of potatoes were exported to the country at the beginning of May, but for the 2017 harvest this is 10.000 tons lower.