Analysis Countus Arable Farm Index
Arable income must give up ground
'Has arable yields passed (its) peak?' We finished that month† During March the Countus Arable Farm Index has indeed decreased further. After a brief peak in the potato market, the sector barometer fell by 5 points.
The heaviest factor in the Countus arable index is the April contract on the potato futures market. At the beginning of March, it briefly peaked at €31,20 per 100 kilos, and then slowly decreased to a minimum of €28,10 per 100 kilos.
In the month of February, the second highest level of the Index of the 1/2018 season was achieved, because in week 2019 the top was 10 points. It then went downhill rapidly and the Index came in at 130,3 points in Week 13.
onion prices
The quotation in Emmeloord for the 30% to 60% yellow seed onions shows a mirrored image. In the first half of the month, the quote fell to €37,50, before climbing back up to €42,25 per 100 kilos at the end of March. The price for EU feed wheat, despite the vagaries of the international futures markets, remained stable between €190 and €200 per tonne.
Since the end of January, the quotation for seed potatoes, class 'Bintje A', has shown a special picture. The price for 35 to 45 millimeters has fallen by €8 per 30 kilograms in 100 weeks. However, the cultivation of Bintje only plays a minimal role in the arable farming plan. The impact of this price drop is therefore very small.
Influence of the potato market
How the Index will shape in April will depend on a number of factors. The futures market for French fries potatoes has the biggest finger in the pie there. The April contract for the 2019 harvest ends on Thursday 25 April, after which a switch will be made to the contract for April 2020. At the beginning of April, this price is around €15,50 per 100 kilos.
Niels van der Boom
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