Once again Spain has a poor potato harvest. It is 7.5% below the multi-year average and 28,000 tons smaller than last year's harvest. Persistent rainfall makes the end of the season exciting. Both for consumption and seed potatoes.
According to figures from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA), 1.948 million tons of potatoes will be harvested in the country this year. A decrease of 1.5% from last year. The harvest was not easy everywhere, but a smaller area planted also does not help. The 60,800 hectares planted this year is the second smallest ever in Spain. Despite production problems, the yield per hectare was slightly above average.
The harvest of late potatoes, in the north of Spain, according to official figures, amounts to almost 720,000 tons. This is slightly more than last year's harvest. In the largest potato province, Castilla y León, 3% more potatoes were harvested.
Again below average
For the third year in a row, the harvest does not exceed two million tons and for five years the volume has been below the ten-year average. New figures from MAPA show the other harvests (early, mid-early, and mid) to be slightly higher. Early potatoes were harvested over 10% more and for mid-early, it is 7% less than last year.
The tail end of the harvest in northern Spain is not going smoothly due to severe weather (storm Kirk). This may have an impact on the final yield figures. This spring, persistent rainfall already caused problems with planting. By mid-October, about 60% of the area in Galicia still needed to be harvested, and an estimated one-third will still be in the ground by mid-November. Crops that have been harvested are facing quality issues.
Meanwhile, the southeast of Spain is still recovering from the weather phenomenon DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos). Parts of Valencia and its surroundings have been devastated, and the extreme weather has cost over 200 lives. The damage to the agricultural sector exceeds one billion euros.
Seed potato shortage
In this region, seed potatoes are also grown, causing the Spanish potato sector to fear a possible shortage of planting material. In other growing regions, more towards the center of Spain, persistent rainfall has caused problems. It has been consistently wet since August. There is expected to be sufficient planting material available for the early growing regions, but it will be challenging for the main harvest next year.
Spanish companies state that the availability of seed potatoes is better this season. Another handicap is the lack of imports from Scotland and England. Especially for the Kennebec and Red Pontiac varieties, these destinations are important. Since Brexit, it is no longer possible for the Spaniards to import seed potatoes.
Stable prices
A smaller harvest and weather-related issues have not yet had a huge impact on pricing. Government figures show that the average selling price this summer, up to and including September, averaged €578 per ton. This is almost 60% higher than a year earlier. Currently, potato prices are stable. Agria is being sold for €260 per ton.
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