The potato acreage in Flanders will shrink considerably this growing season 2020 as a result of the corona crisis. The processing industry has reduced the number of contracts and growers of free potatoes also doubt whether they will maintain the area they had in mind.
This is evident from the survey that the PCA potato testing center conducted among 127 growers at the beginning of April. The answers show that the Flemish area is decreasing by 5 to 6%. A decline of 5% in consumption potatoes can be expected compared to the area in 2019 (54.000 hectares). This means that 2.700 hectares fewer consumption potatoes are planted. The expected shrinkage is entirely attributable to the middle and late varieties. Another increase (+10%) is expected in the early segment.
Seeds already in
At the time of the survey – April 1 – a quarter of the early varieties were already in the ground. Growers usually already had the seed potatoes in this segment when the coronavirus outbreak broke out, so adjustments to the area were not an obvious option. PCA emphasizes that the survey only reaches a limited share of the area of early varieties and that it is therefore only an indication. Amora remains by far the most important early variety with a share of 46%, followed by Sinora (20%), Anosta (13%) and Première. Frieslander drops to fifth place.
The area of middle and late chip varieties showed a decrease of 6% in the survey. Fontane remains by far the largest with a share of more than 59%. It is expected that just over 60% of the Fontane area will be grown under contract, although it should be noted that not all contracts have been finalized yet. Challenger, Bintje and Innovator – which account for 6 to 8% of the area of middle and late potatoes – shrink by about a quarter in size.
Possible increase in Wallonia
This first area forecast from PCA relates to potato cultivation in Flanders. According to the first figures in Wallonia, the area here could increase by 3,6%, but it is likely that this expectation will be adjusted downwards due to the corona crisis. Based on the first estimate, Fontane in particular is growing strongly, namely 29%. This means that the variety accounts for 44% of the Walloon consumption potato area. Innovator follows in second place (18%) and remains stable in area. Challenger and Bintje follow in 3 and 4 places and show a significant decline.