70% potatoes still to be harvested in the Benelux

The harvest graph of Aviko Potato shows quite a shift despite a changeable week. The most notable is North Holland, where a correction has been implemented. Among Aviko growers, 55% of the main harvest has now been harvested, compared to 15% that was discussed last week. The area for consumption potatoes in that province is about 200 hectares smaller this year. Perhaps last autumn was still fresh in our minds, when not all plots could be cleared in the autumn.

Quarter cleared
A mood poll shows that growers have not forgotten autumn 2019. Especially now that the potential reward is very likely below cost, growers prefer not to take any risks. However, not everyone was able to get to work before the rainy period. Too dry, busy with onions, too low underwater weight or not sufficiently dead. This means that the main harvest had hardly started. Aviko now estimates harvest progress for the whole of the Netherlands at more than a quarter. Last year it was even less. By then, more than 10% had been cleared. What may distort the graph is that relatively many potatoes from the field have already been harvested.

The various cultivation areas did not stand still in week 40. After North Holland, Gelderland is the furthest advanced at 35%, because potatoes are mainly grown here. According to Aviko, 20% of the area in Eastern Flevoland has been cleared in one week. The precipitation wasn't too bad here. Harvesting has also taken place elsewhere in the province. The southwest is creeping from 15% to almost 20%. In the southeast, clearing is just getting started. In one week, more than 15% of the area was harvested. In the north of our country, too, only a small amount of harvesting was done.

Looking at the EU-6, Poland has made the most progress. This corresponds to the findings van Boerenbusiness. The weather is comparable to Western Europe. After a long dry period, there was plenty of rainfall last week. Rain is also forecast this week, after which it will become drier. This is currently favorable for harvest conditions. Harvesting often takes place under conditions that are too dry, resulting in damage.

Exciting situation in Belgium and France
Arable farmers in the United Kingdom and Germany are also well advanced with the potato harvest. Aviko estimates progress there at almost 60%. This is more than was achieved in previous years. This is different in Belgium and France. In our southern neighbors, almost all potatoes still have to be harvested from the main harvest. In France, more than 10% has now been cleared. This has never been so little in the last 5 years. Many plots could not be cleared earlier because they had not died off sufficiently and because it had previously been too dry. Then a heavy amount of precipitation suddenly fell.

This week too, the Belgian and French coastal regions are not spared in terms of precipitation and it is already quite wet. Along the coast, including in the Netherlands, the cumulative rainfall amounts to 50 to 70 millimeters this week. Drier weather is expected further east. The harvest can hopefully start there in mid-October. A lot of work will have to be done until November. It is not the first time that a lot of harvesting still needs to be done relatively late, but that does pose some risks. Risks no one wants to take this season.