Good pool prices for Aviko in difficult potato year

The pool price with pre-sale and delivery in week 13 is €262,26 per ton for Fontane and €322,26 per ton for Innovator. Without pre-sale, the prices are €195,21 and €255,21 per ton respectively. The pool prices were presented at the annual growers' meeting in De Meerpaal in Dronten by the Potato Growers' Committee (ATC) of Aviko today. The growing season was characterised by exceptionally late planting, good growth and large regional yield differences.

Challenging growing season 2024
Harvest year 2024 had several challenges, Aviko reports in a press release. For example, a shortage of seed potatoes led to an unprecedentedly late planting season, which in some cases was not completed until early July. During the growing period, conditions varied greatly regionally: from water damage shortly after planting and phytophthora pressure to a clear need for irrigation on certain soils. Due to these factors, average hectare yields lagged behind the long-term average.

The main harvest only really got underway in week 40 due to the late planting, but in many cases it could be carried out under favourable conditions. Dick Zelhorst, board member Agro and Supply Chain at Aviko, calls the season 'particularly complex' in a press release. "The 2024 harvest was characterised by unprecedented daily price fluctuations. The erratic price peaks and troughs made it difficult for the ATC to determine the right time to sell. By responding promptly to the positive market sentiment in the autumn, a good result was achieved. The sharp price drop in the spring had a limited effect on the final pool result due to the lower hectare yields."

Despite the low yield per hectare, demand for free potatoes was limited during the harvest period. The daily market started strongly – ex-field was started from €125 per tonne, on the back of the peak year 2023 – but this trend did not last long. Varieties such as Agria and especially Innovator were a positive exception: they remained popular until the end of February due to continued demand. However, the market quickly declined afterwards, partly due to stagnating sales and the early, promising start of the new growing season.

Stretch is running out of growth market
André Broeze, chairman of the Potato Growers' Committee: "Although the market was under pressure this spring, we were still able to respond well to favourable sales moments in the first quarter, also on the futures market. The current cautious mood shows that market growth is running out of steam. Outside Europe, production capacity is growing rapidly and geopolitical developments are disrupting trade flows. As growers, we must be aware of this changing dynamic."

Pool prices without pre-sale

*excluding pool commission contribution of €0,25 per tonne

Pool prices with advance sale

*excluding pool commission contribution of €0,25 per tonne