Potato growers in the Netherlands and other European countries drive back and forth to the fields in early June to catch up as much as possible. An exceptional scenario that has never been seen before on this scale. With a new rainy period approaching, the chance of planting is becoming increasingly smaller.
This spring (and now summer) potato growers must have a combination of patience, variety optimism and enormous perseverance. The mood is, understandably, simply bad among many arable farmers and contractors. During the few dry moments it is all hands on deck to plant and sow. Potatoes, but also sugar beets and corn still have to be sown. Most of the work still needs to be done in the south of the Netherlands and large parts of Belgium. There are also potato plots or parts thereof that are replanted because they have been flooded or because the seed potato has emergence problems.
Fifth still to be planted
At the end of last week, according to figures from Aviko Potato almost 20% of the consumption potatoes in the Netherlands are planted by their growers. That area is mainly located in Limburg, North Brabant and Zeeland. In the Northern and Central Netherlands this concerns a smaller area that is not in the ground. There, milling and ridging is especially a challenge. The biggest pain is in Belgium, where at least 40% still had to be planted before this weekend. At the beginning of last week, Viaverda (formerly PCA) even talked about 50% of the potato area that was not in the ground. In Wallonia, planting is more advanced than in Flanders, but the large growers are still growing there too. Belgian potato growers still have at least two weeks of work to do with plants.
Top crowds in the south. It has finally become dry enough to resume spring work and the sugar beets were sown on June 7. Now we drive day and night to get the potatoes and corn in as quickly as possible. pic.twitter.com/JTaWJRLy3G
— twan vd heijden ツ (@gerritgaatjes) June 9, 2024
It is striking that our southern neighbors saw less water fall in many places in May than in the Netherlands - although the regional monthly total has also risen to 240 millimeters - but progress in the country has still been minimal. Repeated rain showers have left fields impassable. In France, almost all potatoes are now in the ground. In Germany, an estimated 10% still needs to be planted until last weekend. This opportunity has now been lost for the plots in southern Germany after the floods.
A 1st time for everything. And that works for #harvest24 more often in the agricultural corner. Started with my own seed potatoes on June 5... I had imagined something different. But when I see how the potatoes are doing here and there, I don't complain. Still wet at the bottom #field #softground pic.twitter.com/Uc7s662EVz
— Ivo Haartsen (@ih83_zvl) June 5, 2024
Rain front
During the first weekend of June, we sometimes drove day and night to plant as much as possible. Despite this effort, a significant area still needs to be planted in the areas described earlier by mid-June. The current weather forecast for this week offers few opportunities for work to resume in the Netherlands. Large parts of the country, with the exception of the far south, are already receiving quite a bit of precipitation today.
Further south it is drier, with only a small rain shower. Arable farmers there still have about a week to get as much as possible into the ground. However, it remains relatively cold for this time of year. Yet the (potato) crops that are in the ground are currently developing at a rapid pace. This in turn causes some headaches because it is a challenge, to say the least, to properly protect crops against diseases such as phytophthora.
Transplant 3 ha plot from 8 ha. Mill straight away, because the rest comes out. pic.twitter.com/tXuqafJniG
— Jaap Vos (@langepacht) June 6, 2024
Seed potato quality
The plots that have recently been planted suffer from poor structure and wet soil. "It wasn't already ten, but now it's more like five," notes a grower. It is clear that these crops - apart from their late planting date - will not deliver top yields. Not to mention the upcoming harvest risk. Many reports are also made of poor quality seed potatoes. Both from what is already in the ground and what is still in the shed. Many seed potatoes were already cut weeks ago and have been in the box or tipper for quite some time now. Quality problems are the order of the day. Insiders report that significant volumes are no longer usable. Things are not always better in the field. Aside from water damage problems, there are fossilized tubers and diseases. These can certainly manifest themselves quickly in cut seed potatoes. Parts or entire plots are transplanted locally.
The question is no longer whether all the potatoes are planted, but rather how many are not planted. Simply because of the late date or because plots are impassable. This mainly occurs in Belgium and the Netherlands. Anyone who cannot leave the country this week will most likely have to make a choice, no matter how frustrating that may be. Switching between crops at such a late time is often no longer possible. The tail end of the current marketing season is obviously strongly influenced by this unique situation. Given the weather forecast for the rest of June, we will probably have cool and wet weather, with all the consequences that entails.
New harvest
The new season also starts in a special way. Actually a copy of last year in terms of pricing. The start of the harvest is probably earlier than average, as a small part of the early potatoes were planted on time and developed smoothly. It is mainly the connection with the subsequent plots that creates a gap. Factories apparently keep quiet, but behind the scenes they try to deal with the problems as best as possible. This means using the old harvest sparingly, taking plenty of time for line maintenance and holidays, and buying more potatoes where possible. The current situation offers opportunities to hedge against relatively high price levels, but the potatoes have to grow first.