Potato processors in Belgium and the Netherlands have collected fewer potatoes from growers up to and including November than usual. This is evident from stock figures for fry potatoes. Partly because more tons have simply been harvested, but also because processing is taking it easy.
Getting a good grasp of the situation is not easy. Yields in the EU-4 are not bad but very heterogeneous. This is also reflected in this year's yield figures, ranging from just under 20 to over 70 tons per hectare. This has a lot to do with the planting date and the amount of rainfall during the season.
Problem batches
The fact is that there are more problematic batches in circulation than growers and processors would like. A large part of these have already found a place or will do so in the remaining weeks of this year. Sometimes batches of potatoes spontaneously go bad. A poorly executed MH spray or tubers suddenly rotting. The exact cause is a matter of differing opinions.
Finally, there is a disappointing demand for end products, although processors are not showing all their cards. The hype may have worn off, but the volume certainly cannot be called poor. Up to the summer, European companies have been able to sell good volumes on the world market.
Fifth more delivered
The Belgian potato organizations conducted a stock survey in mid-November with 200 growers. It emerged that more than a fifth more contracted potatoes were delivered than the five-year average. However, significantly fewer free potatoes were delivered. This naturally concerns off-contract delivery and from short-term storage. In total, on November 15, there were 3.27 million tons in stock, which is 2% more than the multi-year average. This is partly due to a higher yield and partly to slower sales.
We can assume that by this date, almost all Belgian potatoes had been harvested, although even at the time of Interpom, potatoes were still being harvested in West Flanders! This concerns the last few hundred hectares, some of which were only planted in August.
Quarter more free in stock
In the past month, Belgian processors mainly collected contracted tons, resulting in the free stock being a quarter larger than usual. It is expected that there is also a share of lower quality potatoes in this, which buyers have deliberately avoided. The final volume may therefore differ. This is remarkable because with a weeks-long Belgapom price of €12.50, it would be more financially interesting than fulfilling contracts, one would think. In reality, there were hardly any truly free potatoes traded at this price. They were barely available even for €15.
Looking at the volumes, a larger harvest in Belgium plays a major role. The potato organizations estimate the total harvest at 4.55 million tons. Slightly less than last year was harvested, but 4% more than the five-year average.
More in Dutch storage
On the same date (November 15), VTA also conducted a first inventory round among its members in the Netherlands. It was found that 10% had been delivered by then, and 40% of the total volume was available for sale (36% of the total harvest). In absolute tons, almost a fifth less was delivered than last year. Exactly the opposite of Belgium.
In the Netherlands, this can be well assessed based on the monthly processing figures. A higher stock is in line with what Vavi reports. In August, 5% less was processed, and in September, 1.2% less compared to a year earlier. Processing had already lagged earlier in the summer. CBS reported a yield of 46.2 tons per hectare this autumn, but VTA growers only reached 43.6 tons. Earlier, the trial harvest figures were still in line with this. Our southern neighbors are doing slightly better with an average of 44.69 tons/ha.
Record yield EU-4
NEPG has also released its figures for the 2024 harvest in the EU-4. They estimate that the countries collectively harvested 24.75 million tons of potatoes this year. This is an increase of 7.7% from last year and 9% more than the five-year average. For the Netherlands, NEPG estimates a slightly smaller 3.37 million tons. For Belgium, it is 4.45 million tons, just below the country's own forecast.
Never before have so many consumption potatoes been harvested in Northwest Europe as in 2024. The old record dates back to 2017 when 23.53 million tons were harvested. The increase in yield is entirely due to the significantly increased acreage - by 7.2% to 557,297 hectares - and not to favorable growing conditions. The yield per hectare is 44.4 tons, slightly higher than the five-year average. In most European countries, especially where cultivation is intensive, the long-term trend shows a decreasing yield per hectare, which is only offset by the continuously expanding acreage.
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