The North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) has published a new forecast for the potato area. This prognosis shows that the acreage has been adjusted significantly upwards. The organization expects the largest acreage ever.
The NEPG expects the potato area in the EU-5 to grow by 2,4% compared to last year. This represents an increase of 8,4%, compared to the 5-year average. This brings the total potato area to 609.000 hectares.
All continental countries are showing growth, although the figures for Great Britain are not yet known. As a result, the final figure, which will be published in July, may still change. In Belgium, a growth in area of 3,3% is expected, in Germany it is 3,5% and for France the growth is 3%. In the Netherlands, the area is growing the least rapidly, namely by 1,7%.
Prognosis increases
The NEPG published in February the expectation that the potato area would not increase much due to a limited seed potato supply. An forecast was also published in April, stating that growth would be approximately 1% to 2%. However, now that the estimate is taking more definitive forms, the estimate is projecting greater growth.