For most potato growers, the 2020 harvest is over. It was (again) one of long days, short nights and lots of mud wrestling. In Belgium and the United Kingdom, a small part of the acreage still has to be cleared. In the Netherlands it's all about crumb work.
Potato plots can still be found everywhere in the clay areas of the Netherlands. Especially in Zeeland (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen), the area is slightly larger, although by far the most has been cleared there too. In the northeast, potato growers were able to complete the season without too many problems.
10% remaining in Belgium
If we look at Northwestern Europe, it is mainly Belgium where a small area of chip potatoes still needs to be harvested. The weather ultimately turned out differently than previously expected. There were not many harvestable days. The ground is saturated and every millimeter is 1 too many. Large growers in Wallonia are trying to clean up the last leftovers and an area still needs to be harvested in West Flanders. In total, this amounts to about 10% of the total area.
If we look at the weather forecast for the next 14 days, there are new opportunities on the horizon. The wind turns to the southeast and brings colder air with it, with no significant precipitation anymore. That may mean starting less early in the morning, but it also offers opportunities to complete the harvest.
Wet in UK
There is also still some work to be done in Northern France. There are still potatoes in the ground in the United Kingdom, although the situation is not comparable to last season. Then at the beginning of December they still had to grub up 15% of the acreage of chips and chips potatoes. Now it is only 2%, although at local level there is talk of 10%. This year there has been a lot of rainfall in eastern England. Double the amount of the average. Before the worst rain, most of it had already been cleared. It does not pose any major obstacles to the industry. Reduced quality is difficult for the fish & chip trade.
The first official estimate in the United Kingdom (compiled by government service AHDB Potato) is 5,3 million tons with an average yield of 46,2 tons per hectare. This is in line with the multi-year average, although the variation between growers is relatively large. The acreage in particular is to blame for the smaller harvest, which is larger than was the case in the previous 2 years.
Attention to storage
For potato growers, attention is now shifting from agricultural work to storage. Lots that were harvested early in the season in warm conditions are already showing signs of germination, insiders report. The late harvested potatoes are especially prone to drying. It is a year of gaining experience now that it is no longer possible to fall back on the old and trusted CIPC. In most cases, 1,4 Sight is used, although growers are already switching to Argos oil to burn off germs.