The concerns about the second corona wave seem to have had little effect on the potato processing industry in December. Despite the lockdown that was introduced in mid-December and the holidays, more potatoes were processed than in November.
The potato processing industry has therefore resumed its upward trend after the meager processing figures november. Figures from the Association for the Potato Processing Industry (Vavi) show that in December 2020, 293.000 tons of potatoes were processed into pre-fried fries and other products.
Light recovery
Processing has increased by approximately 4% compared to November. This means that a cautious recovery has started again. Compared to December 2019, processing is still lagging behind. At that time, 317.500 tons of potatoes were processed. In December 2020, 111.200 tons of imported potatoes were processed. That is 38% of the total processed potatoes compared to 36,7% in December 2019.
Nearly 2020 million potatoes were processed throughout 3,4, according to Vavi's figures. This is significantly less than in 2019 when almost 3,8 million tons were processed. As of March 2020, far fewer potatoes have been processed as a result of the corona crisis. Production has started to recover since June, but is not yet at pre-crisis levels.