For a long time, the official German statistics agency Destatis held on to a sharp increase in the potato area in their country. Now that various federal states are publishing new figures on the acreage, this has been adjusted downwards. Together with a low yield per hectare, this results in a considerably lower total harvest.
In the latest report, Destatis puts the total German potato area, for all varieties, at 271.600 hectares (compared to 276.000 hectares previously). That is a small reduction, but still a significant amount. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Bavaria the area is lower than previously thought. Something the sector had anticipated. However, insiders are not yet convinced of this area.
Figures per state
Such a figure represents a growth in area of 19.600 hectares or 8% growth. The largest potato area in 12 years. We now have to wait for a new correction, which will undoubtedly come. Lower Saxony is by far the largest potato state. The area there has now been negatively corrected by 3.800 hectares. NRW and Bavaria also have the most weight with over 40.000 hectares.
However, there are two sides to the story. Even after this correction, the estimated volume is 2 million tons, compared to 10,23 million tons previously. Destatis talks about an average potato harvest of 10,4 tons per hectare. However, insiders indicate that that estimate is too high. A yield of 37,7 tons per hectare (consumption, starch, seed potatoes) is more realistic, they think. This image also confirms market analyst Christoph Hambloch of the German Office for Agricultural Market Information (AMI).
Average Yield
This means that the average yield is not much higher than in 2018, when an average of 35,4 tons per hectare was achieved. Only in 2003 was this even lower at 34,52 tonnes. The 5-year average is just under 44 tons per hectare. The drought of the 2019 season, after the disastrous 2018, has left deep marks on the potato harvest.
If the country is able to achieve an average harvest in 2020, with the same acreage, then in theory a potato volume of almost 12 million tons is achievable. 2014 and 2017 scored even higher. The average total harvest over 5 years will be 10,63 million tons.