The sorting and bagging machines at the seed potato growers are barely running, but the area planning for 2024 is already around the corner. Due to the high aphid pressure last season - resulting in many class reductions due to viruses - this planning is not always easy. Sometimes we have to settle for less. A shift in the varieties is clearly visible.
Last season, the seed potato area both nationally and Europeanly plummeted significantly. In the Netherlands, the area fell to 38.776 hectares, the lowest since the 2014/15 season (NAK). The main reason for the reduction is the lower profitability compared to chip potatoes. In addition, the intensive labor and the increasingly meager range of crop protection products also influence the shrinkage. Although the sales prices of seed potatoes have increased somewhat for this season, the fact is that the yield this year is below average. The profitability of seed potato cultivation therefore remains under considerable pressure.
Greater focus on fries
Given the profitability, it is obvious that the seed potato area will continue the downward trend. While the demand for potatoes for consumption, especially French fries, has increased in recent years. The sales opportunities are therefore not the issue. The hunger for French fries must be satisfied and this is reflected in the area planning for 2024. The share of French fries varieties is increasing in the total and certainly compared to other varieties, which are, for example, suitable for overseas export.
Seed potato trading houses have previously indicated that overseas exports this year are somewhat more difficult than we have been used to in recent years. African countries in particular appear to be purchasing less. The reason for this is the lesser payment options but also political circumstances. It is not without reason that trading companies reduce the number of varieties intended for overseas export.
In recent years, the chip varieties at the seed potato grower have been under some price pressure on average. Other varieties destined for the sea yielded more per kilo than those intended for the French fries industry. In addition, the tons in seed potato size of some chip varieties are sometimes disappointing, such as Agria for example. It is therefore logical that the seed potato grower does not simply switch to more chip varieties. As far as the kilo price is concerned, this may change given the high demand from the chip industry. For example, agreements have been made with the chip industry about increasing seed potato prices for the 2023 harvest.
Y virus causes headaches
To complete the acreage by 2024, there must be sufficient healthy starting material and that has not been easy for various varieties to date. The high aphid pressure of the past season led to a lot of Y-virus transmission and this is reflected in the follow-up inspection by the NAK. The reduction percentage is currently above 35%. Of these, relatively many young, high-quality vintages have been downgraded to lower classes that actually had to be propagated for a few years before they were sold. As a result, the grower must switch to releasing other varieties or purchasing them. And planting a batch with a lot of virus carries a lot of risk and can be a source of infections again the following year. Growers do not want to choke again when aphid pressure is high at the beginning of the season.
Choosing different vintages and growing more or less of one variety is not easy everywhere. The reduction figures for varieties that are quite susceptible to the Y virus are not that bad. Even so that there are actually insufficient high classes available to meet the original planning. This causes headaches for both the grower and the trading companies. In such cases, one must settle for less healthy starting material, in other words a risk that not only affects the 2024 harvest but also the following years.