Potato exports are getting off to a slow start this season. Up to and including October, the export of the 2021 harvest is about 24.000 tons behind last season. Exports within Europe are comparable to last year. It is mainly the export to other continents that is failing.
A total of 64.201 tons of consumer and industrial potatoes were exported in October, according to export figures from the Dutch Potato Organization (NAO). Exports to countries within the EU amounted to 38.144 tons last month. This brings the counter to 137.589 tonnes this season until October. That is almost the same as last year.
Export is lagging behind
This season, 42.110 tons were shipped to the African continent up to and including October, just under 16.000 tons less than last year. Senegal is a major absentee on the African market. Although the country bought 7.214 tons of potatoes this month, the deficit remains 14.000 tons compared to last season. Exports to America amounted to 5.639 tons in October and the total this season is 3.000 tons behind last season. 2021 tons of the 460 potato harvest were exported to Asia. Last year in the same period this was 5.872 tons.
The fact that total exports have lagged behind so far can partly be explained by the relatively late start of the harvest this year in the Netherlands. The high container/transport rates also do not help with exports to distant destinations, according to several insiders.