Man and power are working to complete the transition to new potatoes. The challenge for the processors, and certainly also for the growers, has rarely been so great.
All processors in Northwestern Europe appear to be using the same strategy: continuing with old harvest potatoes for as long as possible. That is one thing, given that in week 30 there are very few potatoes that meet the lowest standard (with regard to quality requirements). However, need breaks law. This is to ensure that everything that looks like a potato is processed. The associated prices vary from €10 to €20 per 100 kilos.
On to the new potatoes
However, a switch to new potatoes must be made these days. The Premières have been ready for a while and hardly any extra kilos have been added in recent weeks (due to the drought). The demand for free Premieres is also now picking up. Prices are quoted from €20 ex land, but it should be noted that there is not much for sale.
The growers wait for the start of the harvest and look at the amount of kilos left after the harvest. The first run on the medium-early varieties, such as Sinora and Felsina, has also started. However, the harvest from this is worse than that of Première. The early, mid-early and main harvest are doing less well in terms of hectare yield. The mid-early potatoes will clearly produce a lower harvest. Such a scenario is also in the offing for the main harvest, given the drought and heat.
The harvest
And then there is the other exit: the harvest, or rather the circumstances. The potatoes have unprecedentedly high underwater weights and harvesting will certainly be a challenge on the dried out plots. The Belgian processors have now increased the standard for the amount of soil supplied to 25%.
So there is a special case, and in all cases extreme, growing season of which it is far from clear how it will end. Especially when it comes to pricing.