Where in parts of the Netherlands the harvest is already well underway, it is not going smoothly in the southern part of the Netherlands and Belgium. Especially in the east of Belgium, the harvest is far from finished.
Growers report that the harvest is very difficult and that the harvesters are crawling over the land to get the potatoes out of the ground. Again, this week there was a lot of rain in some places and the ground seems saturated in places. Especially in the east of Belgium, it is tense. In the first fifteen days of October, more than 60 millimeters have fallen in some places.
Estimates in the field suggest that in Belgium, 40% to half of the main harvest is still in the ground. There are still at least fifteen to twenty days of harvesting needed to get the potatoes out of the ground. A repeat of last year is therefore not out of the question. Traders and growers are worried whether the harvest will be completed this year as well. The western part of Belgium has received less rain. There, growers are further along with harvesting. This is the opposite of last year when it was the Westhoek where the potatoes remained in the ground.
Now the hope is for a dry period after October 26. Fortunately, the temperatures do not seem to be dropping significantly yet (which could in turn cause more showers).
