Analysis Potatoes
Challenges in storing late-harvested potatoes
In Northwest Europe, many potato harvesters are in their final workweek. Especially in Belgium and South Netherlands, potatoes are sometimes harvested under wet conditions. The consequences of this are now becoming visible in the potato storage facilities.
Dutch arable farmers still have to harvest an estimated 5% of the consumption area, according to DCA Market Intelligence. Especially in North Brabant, Limburg, and the (northern)east of the country, there are still potatoes in the ground. For growers on sandy soil, this is usually not a problem. It is not uncommon to continue harvesting until the first half of November.
Wet in France
Progress in Flanders has also been significant. Potato growers there also need to harvest about 5% of their area. In Wallonia, an estimated 10% to 15% of the potatoes are still in the ground. Harvest work cannot be completed in Germany and France either. Particularly in France, it is locally very wet, hindering arable farmers in various activities. This includes plowing and sowing winter grains. Only 40% of the corn has been harvested by early November.
Potato growers have also harvested under less favorable conditions out of necessity. The memories of last autumn are fresh, and no one wants to take any risks. Consequently, both in the Netherlands and Belgium, reports of storage problems are emerging. Viaverda is seeing issues with Challenger and Agria. The situation is better for Fontane and Markies, as they are less sensitive. Rotting tubers have formed due to the wet conditions and bruising during harvesting, as the tubers' lenticels were open. Even (forced) green harvesting has consequences for storability. Poorly withered crops peel and rot. Some rotten tubers may develop mold in storage.
Checking and running the fans for many hours is the only solution. The latter was not so easy with the sometimes very high temperatures. The mercury is now dropping, especially at night, to below 5 degrees, with ground frost.
No oversupply
In extreme cases, early disposal of batches may be necessary, but these are exceptions. There is no oversupply. European fry potato prices remained steady at €12.50 last week, with Belgapom now describing the market as 'steady'. There is no oversupply. This is evident from the fact that there are practically no free potatoes available at this price. Occasionally, batches are sold, but even for Fontane, prices towards €20 have to be paid and €29 for delivery in April. Growers show little interest in parting with their potatoes now and are optimistic about the coming months.
A strong high-pressure area is currently dominating the weather in our part of Europe, resulting in stable and dry weather. However, persistent cloud cover may lead to predominantly gray days. This calm autumn weather will continue to prevail until mid-November. The current weather maps indicate a different weather pattern in the second half of the month, with frequent showers. This will allow the potato harvest to be completed without stress.
