The Belgian potato supply is 28% larger than the five-year average. This was reported by the Belgian potato organization Viaverda, based on a survey conducted in mid-November.
Based on the survey results, the Belgian potato harvest is now estimated at 5,29 million tons. This includes 332.000 tons of early varieties. A larger area has resulted in a 27% higher yield for early varieties. For late varieties, a larger area and an increase of 4,6 tons per hectare contributed to a 24% increase in production.
This is the second time that production in Belgium has exceeded 5 million tons, Viaverda notes. This was also the case in 2017, when 5,11 million tons were harvested. In recent years, production has fluctuated between 4 and 4,4 million tons. The 2024 harvest was slightly above average at 4,31 million tons.
The survey shows that production of contract potatoes, including those shipped, has increased by 27%. For free-range potatoes, the increase is currently 17%. Viaverda notes that free-range potatoes may be overestimated, as the calculations are based on gross kilograms. Currently, the tare weight is still difficult to estimate due to bruising, weight loss, rapid germination, or rot.
Total stocks as of mid-November are estimated at 4,11 million tons. Over a quarter of this is still freely tradable, the remainder is under contract. The larger stocks consist primarily of free and contracted Fontanes. More than 2,6 million tons of this variety are in storage.
Surprisingly many delivered
Although there are still many potatoes in storage, a surprising number have already been delivered this season. Based on the survey, it has been calculated that 1,18 million tons of potatoes had already been delivered by mid-November. A year ago, 1,04 million tons were delivered by mid-November. This year, mainly more early potatoes were sold, but slightly more free-range and contract potatoes were also shipped from farms.
A very small portion of potatoes ended up as animal feed. According to the survey, one in five Flemish growers sold part of their harvest as animal feed. However, this share was limited to 0,5%. In Wallonia, this percentage was even lower. This mainly concerns early potatoes for which no other market was found. The survey was conducted among growers and therefore does not provide insight into the volumes sent by traders and processors to animal feed and anaerobic digestion.