A mainly dry week in northwestern Europe means that the potato harvest for many growers is almost over or has already been completed. This means that the harvesting rate is well ahead of the last few years. Changeable weather makes the last 20% less likely to run smoothly.
Roughly one-fifth of the potato harvest in the Netherlands still needs to be harvested. That estimates Aviko Potato among its growers. This means that in one week (between October 7 and 14) a quarter of the area has been cleared. In Flevoland, about 20 millimeters of rainfall fell at the end of last week, but elsewhere the harvesting could continue unabated. The harvesting pace is therefore well ahead of what was the case in recent years.
Not everything out of the ground due to rot
What is striking in Aviko's figures is the low percentage for the south-west of the Netherlands. According to the processor, more than half of all potatoes still have to be harvested there. That is not the image that insiders have in mind. It is estimated that at least three quarters have been cleared. This varies from region to region. Most potatoes are out of the ground on the South Holland islands. The harvesting pace is slightly slower in West Brabant and harvesting still needs to be done here and there on the Zeeland islands. Sometimes small parts of a plot have to be left behind because there are too many problems with wet rot after the 200 to 300 millimeters of precipitation at the end of September.
Most of the land still needs to be cleared in the Northern Netherlands. That is nothing special and given the basis it is perfectly possible. Aviko sets the percentage at 40%. In the other cultivation areas it concerns the last 5% to 10% that growers still have to harvest. If it is possible to harvest this week - between the showers - then the harvest can be finished this weekend. Changeable weather, with significant rain today on Monday, October 17, sometimes makes planning difficult. On the other hand, temperatures are rising, which means that harvesting can take place without any obstacles.
Grubbing in Europe is happening quickly
The harvest pace in Belgium and France is usually slightly behind the Netherlands, but this is not the case this season. There too, four-fifths of the country's harvest is produced, as the Aviko figures show. Due to prolonged drought and heat, the crops matured quickly, which also allowed for timely harvesting. Especially when some significant precipitation fell. A fair amount of rain fell in West Flanders. In other parts of Belgium and northern France, the precipitation amount remained limited. PCA also speaks of a smooth harvesting process. The test center notes that this year the tubers are difficult to separate from the foliage, causing a lot of foliage to be sanded.
In Germany, harvest progress is slower. The clearing was already underway at the beginning of October. In the northwest, some still needs to be cleared on light soil, which is also normal for this time of year. The smooth European harvest also puts pressure on the potato futures market in Leipzig. On Friday, October 14, it reached its lowest closing price since August 11 of €25,60 per 100 kilos. This means that the price for delivery in April hardly deviates from the current physical price.