News on Potato Trade from Europe

As the first month of import and export data of potatoes and potato products after Brexit is in, the AHDB takes a closer look at the data and what they could mean. Across all potato product categories recorded, UK imports and exports have fallen from December with figures at the lowest reported this marketing season.

The sale of potatoes is not entirely disappointing at the moment, observes Felix Molenaar of potato and vegetable wholesaler Molenaar from Haarlem.

VerDi Import in the Netherlands has received their first Nicola potatoes. These arrived from Morocco at the beginning of the month.

The export of potatoes from Mallorca to the United Kingdom and Scandinavia of Lady Christl new potatoes started on Sunday. The centre of this export in Mallorca is the municipality Sa Pobla, where exporters still have some concerns because of Brexit.

Mallorca has been exporting potatoes to the United Kingdom since 1927 and future exports are now guaranteed because the British Government has agreed to change the regulations and allow Mallorcan potatoes to be sold in the British market.

EastFruit analysts predict that Russia may sharply increase the volume of imports of potatoes from Egypt in the 2020/21 season.

AHDB Head of Export Trade Development for Potatoes, Patrick Hughes spoke of the importance of the EU market to seed potato growers and how he was hoping for a rapid resolution to the prohibition on UK exports to the Continent.

Ireland’s seed potato sector looks set to get a Brexit shot in the arm. This was one of the key messages delivered courtesy of the second Spring Tillage Webinar, hosted by Teagasc this week.

Luik Natie opened a new cold store at the beginning of 2019. Just under two years later, the opening of a new frozen storage area is planned.

Dutch criminals are increasingly using exports to Africa to launder money which is subsequently invested in diamonds and gold from the continent, FIOD chief Bert Langerak has said.

The Scottish Government has said the seed potato industry is facing disaster through the Brexit deal. Exports of seed potatoes - a vital Scottish export - will not be part of a trade deal between the UK and EU

With a new board, Belgapom starts its new search for a successor to Romain Cools as CEO of the Belgian potato trade and processing industry

The European Potato Trade Association Europatat has appointed Romans Vorss as the new Technical Affairs Director of the Association, with effect as of 26 October 2020.

The Industry Advisory Group (IAG) of the IPPC ePhyto Solution calls on governments to support the adoption of ePhyto to facilitate international agricultural trade, which would be crucial in safeguarding global food security beyond the Covid-19 recovery period.

In mainland Europe the widespread closure of restaurants and other food service outlets has meant that demand for processed potato products has fallen significantly.

Due to COVID-19 the free market of potatoes has completely collapsed. The PCA/Fiwap and the Belgapom price quotation has been suspended because of a lack of transactions on the free market of potatoes.

Haith Group, a leading designer and manufacturer of potato handling equipment, used the Fruit Logistica (5-7 February) to ramp-up its post-Brexit preparations as the company looks to continue its excellent European export levels.

Despite the fact that potato prices are declining in Ukraine, their reduction so far has not been sufficient to stop the huge flow of Russian imports.