The physical trade in potatoes is not terribly busy. Processors can still make reasonable progress with contract volumes. The undertone in the market is becoming somewhat firm when we look at the DCA Spot Price for French Fries Potatoes (SF).
The DCA Spot Price for French Fries Potatoes is, in short, the average of the French fries potato quotations from the stock exchanges in Germany (Reka), Belgium (Viaverde/Fiwap) and France (RNM). Normally, PotatoNL is also included, but this Dutch quotation has not been put on the boards since the start of the new marketing season.
The price difference between Fontane and Innovator is and remains large. The top Innovator is at €20 while Fontane remains at €12,50 if we look at the different listings in the EU-4. In Belgium, the mood for Fontane is shifting a bit. Viaverda/Fiwap gave a head start this week by putting €12,50 to €15 on the board for Fontane and Challenger. In the explanation, Viaverda did write that there are few transactions and that there is limited demand from the industry. Overt and problem lots make up the largest part of the market. At the current price level, traders and in some cases also growers are on the market for good potatoes. These potatoes are bought for storage.
The cross from Viaverda/Fiwap was not headed in by the other listed companies. The most remarkable was perhaps the Belgapom that kept the price unchanged at €12,50, but the market mood changed from stable to price-holding. The DCA SF took a step up this week and rose by €0,18 to €14,20 per 100 kilos. This puts the spot price €0,92 above the five-year average and even €2,76 above last year's price. Despite the area expansion and the average reasonable harvest, the market feels fairly stable in this respect.