British potato acreage in top 3 of smallest ever

The potato area in Great Britain this season is expected to be 117.470 hectares, a decrease of 2,3% compared to last season. This would put the potato area in the top 3 of smallest areas ever, except for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. AHDB notes that the estimate is based on 80% of potato growers. The large growers in particular have significantly reduced their acreage, which is one of the explanations for the relatively large decline.

Potato cultivation remains most popular in the East
The largest potato growing region is in the east of the country, with an area of ​​33.400 hectares. This means that the potato area has shrunk by less than 1% compared to last year. Potato growing remains popular in the east of the United Kingdom. In fact, over the past 4 years, production has gradually increased and the estimated area for 2020 is approximately 500 hectares above the 2018 plantings.

In contrast, the northeast of the United Kingdom shows a significant decrease in area. In this region the area is expected to decrease by 1.100 hectares, mainly as a result of the weather conditions in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In the 'East and West Midlands' the area will also decrease by 700 to 800 hectares compared to last year . Since 2011, the sown area in this region has decreased by 1.400 and 3.400 hectares respectively.

Processing is suffering from the corona crisis
Just like elsewhere in the world, potato processing in the United Kingdom is also suffering the most from the corona crisis. AHDB expects the potato area intended for processing to decrease by 7,1% to 34.800 hectares. Compared to the 5-year average, the decrease is smaller, but still significant: -3,6%. The area for the fresh segment shows an increase of 1,6% to 44.300 hectares. This is also not surprising, given that retail is actually selling more potatoes due to the corona crisis.