In an exceptionally difficult potato market, exports offer a bright spot. In terms of volume, that is, because potatoes are selling for lower prices compared to previous years.
Potato exports for consumption rose in December to just over 70.000 tons. Senegal and Germany, in particular, provided a significant boost to export figures at the end of last year. In the run-up to its new harvest, Senegal could still use a substantial quantity of potatoes. This provided a welcome surprise. The same applies to Germany, which will have more than enough potatoes after its large harvest in 2025.
The initial seed potato export figures are certainly not disappointing. While seed potato growers noticed that trading houses were calling off substantial quantities, many growers struggled enormously with the sale of free-range Spuntas. Prices paid for this variety plummeted from €70 to €80 per 100 kilos at the start of the season to below €20 per 100 kilos in recent weeks.
German figures also indicate that seed potatoes are selling for lower prices than last year. In October, prices seemed to be lower, but in November, export prices had to drop by a quarter. And seed potato imports also started at a significantly lower price level.
The fact that the Netherlands ultimately shipped over 300.000 tons at the end of last month is certainly not a disappointment. It's even encouraging that the necessary quantities can finally be sold. Algeria certainly isn't to blame, as healthy demand from that country led to exports of over 80.000 tons. Total sales to Africa even increased to 153.000 tons, which, over a long period, is a good result at the turn of the year.
Sales to Asia are in the mid-range of the volumes exported to this continent over the past two years. Some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, are buying slightly less because they were overfed last year. On the other hand, the strong recovery in exports to Syria is a welcome bonus.
Exports to the Americas are disappointing. This is entirely due to Cuba, which simply doesn't have the money to buy seed potatoes. Europe is still a bit of a wait-and-see situation, but that was to be expected given the dramatically poor price trend for table potatoes. Regarding sales to early regions, it's particularly noticeable that Spain has purchased less seed potatoes.
Nevertheless, the current status of deliveries to European destinations is not causing much concern. This is because most trade has yet to take place, and the current expectation is that the potato acreage will not shrink as much as was advocated earlier this season. Some potato growers are reducing their acreage, but there are just as many who are choosing to stabilize it, as is also evident from a survey that Boerenbusiness has held.