After months of negotiations and without a listing, PotatoNL has been active again for seventy days. The Netherlands has been the leading country in the EU-4 for years when it comes to potato trade and processing. The months-long break and comeback of PotatoNL are leaving their mark.
In the meantime, the Netherlands has been overtaken by Belgium and the Dutch potato trade and cultivation seems to be following rather than leading. Also on the futures market, the Dutch listing was always important for making the cash settlement (CS). In the meantime, PotatoNL is officially no longer included and it is not entirely clear what the contribution is from the Netherlands in the CS.
spread
The big difference between the Dutch listing and the other foreign listings is that the Netherlands uses a spread. With this, PotatoNL wants to show the width of the trading range and make the highest and lowest prices of the transactions done last week transparent. Especially in a strongly declining market, it is difficult to frame the correct price.
In recent weeks, there has been a wide spread between the highest and lowest listings of PotatoNL, category 1. There is a difference of between €7,50 (week 12 2025) and €13 per 100 kilos (week 3 2025). If you look at the average listing of PotatoNL, category 1, it is structurally higher than in the surrounding countries.
There is a difference of an average of €4,975 per 100 kilos over the past seventy days compared to the Belgapom. Germany, Belgium and France opt for one listing that reflects the market. You can have an opinion about that, but it does provide clarity to growers about what their potatoes are worth at that moment. Dutch growers may think that their potatoes are worth €25, for example (higher end of listing), while the buyer thinks they are worth €17,50 (lower end of listing). This causes confusion and does not actually help the market to make it transparent.
PotatoNL
Potato processors have contracts in circulation that settle the kilos delivered at the daily price. If growers and processors cannot reach an agreement, the settlement will take place at the average stock exchange listing of PotatoNL, category 1. If a processor, for example, has to settle Fontane at the average PotatoNL, category 1, then he has purchased the potatoes in the Netherlands in the past seventy days at €4,975 more than if he does so on the basis of the Belgapom.
Processors purchase an average of between 10% and 20% of their potato needs based on kilos delivered or on daily price. For example, suppose that with a total processing of 3,5 million tons of potatoes in the Netherlands, 4% is purchased on the average stock exchange listing PotatoNL, category 1. In that case, these processors have a purchasing disadvantage of approximately €10 million compared to their competitors who purchase on Belgapom, for example. That is good news for Dutch growers. It does raise the question of whether the system of PotatoNL and the use of the listing, also in the North-Western European playing field, is sustainable in the long term.