VTA's trial harvests are about 20% below last year's level. In addition, the difference with the 5-year average is about 12,5%.
More than 10 tons were added in the months of August and September. This means that there has been slightly more growth than in the previous 5 years. In general, not much new growth is expected, because most plots have been sprayed, cleared or worn out.
Less in the chip size
Of the entire yield, 61% is suitable for fries (50 millimeters upwards). That is less than in 2017 (70%) and less than the 5-year average (69%). The differences in yield are large. The lowest yield was 21,3 tons per hectare, while the highest yield was 84,6 tons per hectare. These differences have to do with the degree of irrigation, but also with rain damage.
Most trial harvesting has been done in the clay area. This partly gives a distorted picture, because yields on sandy soils are clearly lagging behind.