Although the futures market suggests that everything is quietly lapping on the potato market, it seems to be moving cautiously. The quotations in Northwest Europe give a stable to price-resistant picture, with Belgium and France mainly recording yellow-fleshed varieties.
Processors have sufficient potatoes available at short notice and processors do not actively go out for lots that are offered for quality. Traders in particular complain about little trade and difficulty in selling potatoes for export and processing.
The export market is booming, but not fast. Prices are under some pressure and the volume is not large. Eastern Europe would have extra demand due to the dry summer, but due to the mild weather and the absence of winter, this has not yet led to higher prices. England offers opportunities, but before Christmas the demand was greater there than after New Year's.
Top of the market
It is striking that the demand for white-fleshed potatoes has increased in the last week (Innovator and Markies). These varieties clearly determine the top end of the market. Processors in the Netherlands are looking for white-fleshed potatoes. However, free potatoes of the varieties mentioned are sparsely sown.
Due to the scarcity of seed potatoes last season, few free potatoes of the Innovator and Markies varieties were planted last year. Innovator's harvest from the field was also disappointing in both kilograms and length. The cultivation of Innovator on sandy soils has not gone well due to the impact and sensitivity of this variety in extremely hot and dry weather.
No fallback options
The worldwide supply of fast food chains (McDonald's, BurgerKing, etc.) requires white-fleshed long potatoes and there are not many free and extra potatoes available. Due to the harvest problems in the United States and Canada, this does not seem to be an option.
Today (Friday January 17) Innovator was traded (see VTA list) for delivery before mid-May for €20,50. The chance that the price difference between white and yellow-fleshed potatoes will diverge further appears to be real.