Poland can also record 2022 as a dry summer. Precipitation shortages locally rise to above 200 millimeters. This causes worrying situations for farmers, especially in the southwest and southeast. Without precipitation in the offing, the impact on the yield of, for example, potatoes, maize and sugar beet could be significant.
According to the Polish Soil and Climate Institute IUNG, there have been only four years without drought problems since 1961. The last time this happened was in 2018 and 2019. The average rainfall deficit in the country has now risen to just above 100 millimeters, locally the deficit is sometimes double that. There is extreme drought, especially in the southwest and southeast.
Heat reaches Poland
Last winter was also dry in Poland, with little precipitation. The arable farming season already started with little moisture. The spring was relatively cold with occasional precipitation, which made the start slow for many crops, but generally successful. The country is now dealing with the heat which reached Western Europe earlier this week. Temperatures can reach 37 degrees. Unlike in the Netherlands, it remains warm with temperatures around or above 30 degrees even after the weekend. No significant precipitation is expected, apart from local thunderstorms.
In the north of Poland, along the Baltic Sea coast, the situation is more favorable. There was more precipitation there and temperatures were a lot lower until this week. Many potatoes are also grown here, which have been able to benefit from the weather. Drought is a real problem along the German border, the southwest and southeast. Also for potato crops, say insiders.
Difficult start
The current potato season did not start very smoothly. It got hard negotiated between growers and factories about higher contract prices, which could only be achieved slowly. Official acreage figures have still not been published. This spring a significant decrease in the area was expected. Last year the area also decreased, just like production. The current drought is yet another blow to growers, especially for companies that have been dealing with low yields for several years. Irrigation is the norm among professional growers, but this entails significant costs. The mood is therefore at a low point, according to insiders.
A country that may notice the most from a smaller Polish potato harvest is Russia. There has been little or no end product going in that direction since the war broke out in Ukraine. At the beginning of July it was announced that Vknuso i Tochka, as McDonald's restaurants have been known since the Russian takeover, would not be available in many places. fries can serve more. The fact that Poland harvested ten percent fewer potatoes last year, according to official figures, is partly causing a shortage in the market. Average yields were also about 14 percent lower. Ukraine, which normally supplies potatoes to Russia, has also not exported since this spring. Much of the remaining stock was damaged in the war and was sold locally.
Potato prices are rising
Due to the drought and tight market conditions, potato prices in the country are rising steadily. This is despite the fact that more and more potatoes can be harvested and delivered to the domestic market. According to statistics agency GUS, the average potato price in June was ten percent higher than in May. At the beginning of July, 68 percent of all Polish municipalities were experiencing drought, but 'only' a quarter of this concerns arable land. In recent years, that percentage has risen to as high as 70 percent. The drought is not yet critical, but looking at the weather forecast for the coming period, the problems will certainly not decrease.