Profit warning for potato pool Aviko

In December, the Aviko Potato Growers Committee (ATC) already had to deal with a dramatically bad announce land-to-farm priceThat came in at €25,07 per ton. It now appears from Aviko's newsletter that participants in the storage pool should also expect a similarly poor result.

Storage costs not covered
Aviko speaks of a 'very mediocre pool result'. It remains to be seen what price can be attached to this, but a free market of €0 to €30 per ton speaks volumes. According to the processor, it is realistic to assume that storage costs are only reimbursed to a limited extent. It is still keeping its options open, but given the acreage expansion and the poor harvest, the chance of a market change is particularly small.

For comparison: For the 2017 vintage, the storage pool amounted to €55 for Fontane and €62,50 for Innovator.

Despite this situation, Aviko is fulfilling all its contractual obligations, the company states, but is purchasing only potatoes stipulated in the contract. Even with this measure, Aviko cannot find a use for all the potatoes. A portion of the contracted potatoes goes to animal feed and, for some time now, also to anaerobic digestion. The buyer emphasizes that growers must strictly adhere to their contractual obligations in the interest of the common good.

Equal treatment
Aviko continues to keep its contract and pool growers informed of developments, the company states, and wants to treat everyone equally. This is also necessary for the preservation of the pool, the processor writes.

In the newsletter, Aviko has not yet made any statements regarding the future of its click contracts. With the discontinuation of the potato futures market the basis below falls away. It is not yet known what this means for the current contracts and those for the 2026-2027 season.