The area growth of storage potatoes in Belgium will remain limited to less than 5% this year. This is evident from preliminary figures now released by the statistics agency StatBel.
StatBel researchers have had some time to digest the results, as the data now being released is based on the agricultural census from May. Therefore, the figures don't offer much of a shock, as the shifts in acreage have already become apparent in recent months.
What is striking about these figures is that the expansion of early potatoes has been quite substantial this year. This area has increased by almost 50% to just over 8.000 hectares. Seed potato cultivation has increased by 10% to 3.324 hectares. This means that seed potato production remains relatively small in Belgium.
The cultivation of storage potatoes increased by 4,7% to 96.333 hectares. This expansion occurred primarily in Wallonia, where the area increased by 8,2%. In Flanders, growth remained limited to 1,5%. Due to these shifts, the area devoted to storage potatoes in Wallonia is almost as large as in Flanders this year.
StatBel doesn't yet have an estimate of the yields. The potato organizations did issue a forecast last month. They're aiming for a total potato harvest of almost 5 million tons. Compared to last year, this represents an increase of 650.000 tons, or 15%.
The sugar beet acreage in Belgium has shrunk by 11% this year to 51.994 hectares. This decline is attributed to lower sugar prices. Cultivation has declined particularly in Wallonia (-13,1%), although this region produces the most beets in Belgium. Beet cultivation in Flanders has decreased by 6,4% to 18.264 hectares.
More chicory and flax
Chicory and flax are showing growth this year in Belgium. Chicory has expanded by almost 20% to over 10.000 hectares. In Flanders, cultivation remains limited to less than 2.000 hectares, but growth is strongest, with an increase of over 25%. In Wallonia, cultivation has increased by 17,6%.
For flax, we see a decline (-9,45%) in Flanders and an expansion (+9%) in Wallonia. Overall, cultivation increased by 3,4% to 19.360 hectares across Belgium. Rapeseed cultivation decreased by 20% to just under 8.500 hectares.