A large majority of Dutch potato growers will leave the acreage unchanged in the 2020/2021 season. This is evident from a poll on Boerenbusiness† The availability of land is the main reason for increasing or decreasing the surface area.
De in. op Boerenbusiness was completed a total of 223 times; This is the position on Monday morning, December 9. This means that approximately 4% of all potato growers in the Netherlands have left a vote, although there are certainly Belgian voters among them.
2 groups
Almost half of the respondents indicate that the area for 2020 will remain stable. It is striking that 2 groups of almost equal size report that the area will increase by 8%, or will decrease by 8%. There is no single line in the answers, although the answers lean slightly more towards a decrease in the potato area.
The answers are partly explained by the subsequent questions. The availability of land is mentioned in half of the cases as a reason for increasing or reducing cultivation. It is striking that well over 30% (27 people) indicate that they will grow less because of the market. This was mentioned as a positive motive for only 8 respondents.
Seed potatoes are sufficiently available
Few growers are concerned about the availability of seed potatoes. Approximately 77% of the 184 voters believe that sufficient starting material is available. The variety choice also remains unchanged for many growers, despite challenges in cultivation. The lack of diquat (Reglone) and CIPC are not seen as an influential factor. Of the 176 voters, 63% say they will stick with the varieties they have and 20% do not know this yet.