News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from Europe

Europatat, the European Potato Trade Association, has confirmed the dates for its annual Europatat Congress. Under the slogan “Potatoes: a healthy, sustainable and responsible sector”, the 2018 Congress will focus on sustainability.

AHDB Potatoes will officially launch its Potato Data Centre (PDC) at BP2017 at Harrogate on 22 and 23 November.

Although the full harvest is not in the stores yet, the North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) estimates the actual harvest at 28.9 million tons for the 5 countries. This is more than the estimate of last September.

Earlier today Statistics Netherlands (CBS) published its latest update of the potato harvest of 2017 in the Netherlands. Total production of potatoes for consumption for the first time since 2000 exceeded 4 million tonnes, an increase of 27 percent compared to 2016!

One of the key features of the biennial British Potato event is the seminar programme and the approaching Brexit is of course a topic that must be front and center at an event in the United Kingdom.

HZPC, world leader in potato breeding, announced during the shareholders’ meeting on 5 October that a consolidated net turnover of €318.5 million has been determined for the financial year 2016/17. The gross profit is €59.3 million and the net result is €8.5 million.

Potato growers in Hungary are in a tough position as potato prices are low. On top of that, yield has been negatively affected by heat and quality is far from optimal.

For the current European potato harvest, the North-western-European Potato Growers (NEPG) estimate the total potato production at 27.9 million tons for the five NEPG countries (Belgium, Germany, France, The Netherlands and Great Britain). This is up 13.5 percent compared to last season.

The Dutch Potato Industry is introducing PotatoNL, a national potato quotation. The first PotatoNL national potato quotation will start on 14 November 2017

Op basis van proefrooiingen en praktijkresultaten verwacht de NEPG een totale oogst van 27,9 miljoen ton aan consumptieaardappelen in Noord-west Europa. Dat is 13,5% hoger dan vorig jaar.

AHDB exports is present at Potato Europe 2017 with a large stand, with co-exhibitors Caithness Potato Export, Cygnet PEP, Cullen Allen, Greenvale Seed, James Hutton Limited and SASA

The pressure on the Dutch table potato market is increasing, according to Kees Bijl from the potato trading, sorting and packing company Bijl Aardappelen in Sint-Annaland.

In Great Britain, Maris Piper is still by a wide margin the most grown potato variety. But potato growers have planted an increased area of emerging varieties to serve the fresh packing market

Government representatives from Scotland and Brazil met in July to simplify the import classification requirements for seed potatoes. The game-changing meeting was organised and funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

In Scotland, a group of major potato businesses and public sector organisations have sponsored a £242,000 (USD 313,000) research project aimed at reducing the impact of potato disease blackleg on the Scottish seed potato industry.

The total consumption potato area in North-Western Europe, has been estimated at 578.821 ha, which is 4.6% more than last year and 8.3% more than the 5 years average, according to the NEPG.

Seed potato growers for the United Kingdom who have been confident that crucial trade with Egypt and other non-EU markets would not be disrupted by Brexit may be in for a shock.

AHDB Potatoes Market Intelligence Analysts estimate the total area planted with potatoes in Great Britain this season is 121,000 hectares. This is up by four per cent on the previous year.