Latfood: good potato harvest in 2011

Potato chip manufacturer Latfood evaluates this season's potato harvest as good, forecasting a 30 ton pick per hectare, Latfood Agro-Service Director Ilgvars Krumins informed Nozare.lv.

"The average crop capacity index this year is 30 tons from one hectare, which can be evaluated as very good. Overall this year's potato crop capacity is similar to last year's, possibly it's slightly better. The potato variety with the biggest capacity for several years now is "Marlen". At this time about 20% of all potatoes are harvested, that is about 2,000 tons, which are already in production or are stored,"said Krumins.

He believes that it is too early to judge the quality of the harvest because it will depend on the weather in the upcoming weeks. Besides, the standard procedure for determining the new harvest's quality is carried out about four weeks after the harvest is accepted, when the potatoes are dried, writes LETA.

"The most necessary thing for good quality harvest is dry weather because rain and humidity significantly increase quality risks. From a practical viewpoint, it is more difficult to work with the equipment in wet weather. But in regard to potato quality – if a potato has spent a day under water, it cannot be saved,"said the agronomist.

  All in all the weather this summer was favorable for potato growing, there were no lasting dry periods. But about a month is left until the conclusion of potato harvest, and that is crucial for their quality.