Inside Potatoes
Potato harvest creeps to the finish line
Improved weather conditions have ensured that the potato harvest in our country has been able to progress a bit. However, the speed is out of the harvest train and the weather conditions also vary. Harvesters are not able to access the land everywhere.
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Choose the subscription that suits youThe first two weeks of November brought a flood of water, especially in the northern coastal regions. The arable farmers in the Wieringermeer and Haarlemmermeer are experiencing the greatest inconvenience from this. On the heavy soils it is therefore doubtful whether it can still be cleared at all. Between 2 millimeters and 70 millimeters of precipitation fell in these places.
Things are slightly better in the southwest of the country. The southeast also received less water. Relatively speaking, a lot of work has been done in the province of Flevoland. In addition to potatoes, carrots and chicory have also been harvested. It is still wet, especially in the Noordoostpolder. In Southern Flevoland it is also exciting to see whether the potatoes come from the heavier soil.
5% cleared
At the end of week 45, Aviko Potato estimated that there was still 13% in the ground nationally. Approximately 1 week later (on Friday, November 15), this is estimated at 8%, good for 4.500 hectares. For Flevoland this is still 3% to 8%, while last week it was 10% to 15%. Grubbing is also more advanced in the southwest. It is estimated that about 5% still needs to be harvested there. In the northeast of the Netherlands that is 4%. The province of North Holland remains by far the furthest behind, with 35% still to be harvested. There has been no progress here in 1 week.
Neighboring countries face similar circumstances. The potato harvest has not yet been completed in (Northern) France and Belgium. In Germany, almost all potatoes are out of the ground. The United Kingdom is one story separate.
November remains wet
A fair amount of rain is expected, especially on Monday, November 18, between 15 millimeters and 20 millimeters. Yet, at the time of writing, this seems to be not too bad. Later this week it will remain relatively dry, although the mercury will drop again to just above 0 degrees.
However, given the time of year, less attention is paid to this. The harvesters drive when they can. The weather will remain unstable in the long term. This also applies to the countries around us. Only in Germany is slightly less rain expected.