Analysis Potatoes
Poland brings in a lager potato harvest
Despite the varying growth conditions, Polish potato growers are harvesting a significantly larger potato crop this year. Partly due to an increased acreage in the country. Yields and quality vary greatly. These are influenced by the weather conditions.
Poland, like other Central European countries, has had a slightly different season than the EU-4 countries. Spring started very early, warm, and dry there. This allowed most potatoes to be planted on time. Especially in the south and middle of Poland. The total acreage has increased this year, from 182,650 to 200,000 hectares.
It is mainly the processing industry that is pursuing more hectares of potatoes. The demand is more stable in the chip industry. Some factories are facing a faltering demand that is certainly not increasing. Poland is also one of the few European countries where the cultivation of starch potatoes is growing again, with the help of state aid.
Erratic season
The growing season was erratic in Poland. Long dry and warm periods were interspersed with sometimes heavy rainfall. As a result, the hectare yields vary greatly, as reported by the Polish potato organization. The yields achieved so far range from 20 to 60 tons per hectare, with strong differences in whether or not irrigation was used. The regrowth has generally been disappointing due to drought and high temperatures in August.
The potato organization expects a total harvest of 6.7 million tons. That is 20% more compared to the 5.6 million tons harvested last year. However, the yield is still below the five-year average of 6.95 million tons. Between 2021 and 2023, the acreage decreased significantly due to increased cultivation costs, higher risks, and alternatives such as more profitable grain and rapeseed cultivation. These markets have now stabilized, leading farmers to increasingly turn to potatoes again.
More potato for fries
The research institute ERiGŻ PIB estimates that the total volume includes about 1.93 million tons of industrial potatoes. This includes almost 640,000 tons of starch potatoes, which is almost the same as last year. The biggest increase is seen in potato for fries, which according to official figures increase by 12.5% to 520,000 tons. This is the largest volume since the 2017 harvest year, mainly due to an increased acreage.
Disruption
The potato organization is still cautious about this yield. This is all due to the varying yields. Despite the early and smooth start of the harvest, the main harvest (fries) potatoes are far from being harvested. Poland is also facing a weather disruption this week. Heavy showers are hitting the western part of the country, with sometimes significant amounts of water falling. At the same time, the temperature drops to minimums below ten degrees.
Poland does not have a potato for fries price index, but there are various regional market prices for table potatoes. These have rebounded towards mid-September due to reports of disappointing yields. The prices for sorted and bagged potatoes are between 1,000 and 2,000 zloty per ton in mid-September. This is equivalent to €233 to €465 per ton. This price level is almost the same as the five-year average, but it is considerably lower than what was paid last year.
