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Inside Potatoes

Belgian free sales are not going smoothly

1 December 2020 - Niels van der Boom

The Belgian potato harvest differs little from last year. In the shed, those numbers look very different. There, major shifts are noticeable in the amount of free and contracted potatoes that are 'stocked'.

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The Belgian potato organizations from Flanders and Wallonia have asked 127 Flemish and 81 Walloon members about their harvest for 2020. The total harvest of consumption potatoes for this potato harvest is 4,34 million tons. That is 70.000 tons less than was harvested last year and 240.000 tons more than the 5-year average.

The average yield is 1% lower than last year, at 44,7 tons per hectare. In Flanders there is hardly any noticeable difference. In Wallonia this is -2%. Compared to the multi-year average, the yield is 3% lower.

Not everything cleared
The area has also not changed significantly. This amounts to 97.000 hectares of ware potatoes. Less was planted in Flanders (-3%) and in Wallonia 2% more. Not all of these potatoes have been harvested. The survey shows that in mid-November, about 2,5% of the area still had to be cleared in Flanders. A small portion of it is considered lost. This concerns broken headlands and wet spots. In Wallonia, this amounts to 1,5% that is still in the ground. Here too, part of it is no longer harvested.

Few free potatoes delivered
Growers were also asked about their potato stock and the tons already delivered. PCA estimates early potato sales at 290.000 tons. Of the main harvest, 800.000 tons had been delivered by mid-November. This mainly concerns contract potatoes (80%). A total of 1,09 million tons sold until mid-November is very average, according to PCA. It is particularly striking that far fewer free potatoes were delivered. Normally this is about 200.000 tons instead of 88.000 tons now.

Delivered quantity of potatoes for 15-11. Source: PCA.

The potatoes delivered mainly concern Fontane. Not surprising, because this is the largest variety, especially for the contracted chip potatoes. Bintje disappears from the scene and Innovator in particular grows. Especially in the first phase of the delivery season. The total stock is estimated by PCA at 3,25 million tons (as of mid-November). This is 4% higher than the 5-year average, just like the total harvest, but equal to last year. Only in 2017 was the stock even higher.

Contract potatoes in the shed
More than a quarter of the stock is free potatoes and that is very little. Especially because more and more contracts are being drawn up. The quantity of potatoes on contract – in storage – increased by almost 20% compared to the 5-year average. Fontane accounts for 60% of the total stock and that is a record. It is therefore not surprising that most of the free potatoes are also Fontane. At Bintje that is only 7%. More than 90% of the Innovator variety is under contract, compared to 63% with Bintje.

Amount of potatoes after 15-11. Source: PCA.

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