Rain, rain and more rain, that has been one of the most important themes on the potato market for more than six months now. After a drowned harvest in 2023, the pots for the 2024 harvest are now (locally) in the water, if they are already in the ground. It will take a while, but the wet spring is gradually taking hold of the potato market.
All in all, quite a few potatoes were planted on the few dry days this spring. Several growers are now wondering whether they did the right thing. Last week the south of the Netherlands got a bucket of water, on Monday the north got the full brunt and last evening and night it was the middle's turn. That does not mean that everything is lost, but there will be quite a few plots that actually need to be planted over. The limited availability of seed potatoes can sometimes cause problems.
The weather is not only uncooperative in the Netherlands. Some processors had already written down the early potatoes from Germany and France. They will probably have to start calculating again, because there has also been local flooding there. The connection between old and new harvest is not getting any easier. That could be a reason that the processing industry does not accelerate.
Variation
All in all, there were enough reasons for a mood on the potato market. Prices are also on the rise, but it is not at the pace that many growers with free potatoes hope for. The PotatoNL showed an increase yesterday and the range is wide with the bottom at €40 and the top at €52.
This broad range has been criticized from various quarters. On one side stood the Pat list for the PotatoNL two transactions this week for under €40: 100 tons of Challenger at €37 and 100 tons of Donata at €35. On the other hand, up to €60 is paid for Agria's (delivery in June). Both are extremes, so let's just say that the listing committee has chosen the golden mean, although there are also signals that not all transactions have actually been included. If those signals are correct, it is a regrettable development.
The futures market responds more quickly to recent developments. The last contract for the 2023 harvest, the June contract, rose by more than 20% in just three weeks and closed yesterday (Tuesday, May 21) at €45 per 100 kilos. The April 2025 contract showed a similar move, up a good 20% since the beginning of the month to €34. Critics point out that due to limited turnover, the futures market is no longer the indicator it used to be.