The potato area in the United Kingdom (UK) is estimated at 199.000 hectares, a decrease of 3% compared to last year. The news comes at a time when British arable farmers are having major problems due to the drought.
The area amounts to 119.000 hectares, which is the third lowest area in years. In previous estimates a constant area was assumed. The reduction in the area is the result of last year's low prices and the weather conditions at the beginning of the season, AHDB said.
The start of the season was cold and wet, which meant that in some cases the planting of potatoes did not take place. Based on this area and a yield equal to the 5-year average, a yield of 5,7 million tons is expected. However, yields are expected to be significantly lower, so a potato harvest of 5 million tons is not unrealistic.
Few irrigation options
A yield reduction of 10% is not unrealistic scenario. In the UK, the area under irrigation has fallen in recent years. Since 2017, the area under irrigation has fallen below 50%; There is little area that can be irrigated, especially in Scotland and Wales.
The rain that fell last weekend was not nearly enough, according to a British arable farmer. He told 'Fginsight' that he expects yields to be more than 25% lower.