110,000 hectares remain to be harvested in EU-4

Not the first 80%, but the last 20% is the most difficult part of the potato harvest. It's not huge amounts of rain falling this month, but rather regular showers keeping growers out of the fields. Especially in the South and East of the Netherlands and in Belgium. There is still a considerable amount to be harvested.

In the Netherlands, an estimated 20% of the acreage still needs to be harvested. In Flevoland and on the South Holland islands, the harvest is almost complete, focusing on the last hectares. Also, in large parts of North Holland and the Northern Netherlands (clay soils), the potatoes have been harvested.

In other potato cultivation areas, growers have not yet completed the harvest. Especially in East Netherlands, the middle and east of North Brabant, and in Limburg, there is still a significant acreage in the ground. Growers in the Brabant clay soils and in Zeeland are also not done yet, although companies are trying to finish this weekend if the crops have died off enough. It's risky to mention percentages, but on sandy and loamy soils, it's estimated that often 50% or more is still in the field.

Wallonia is particularly behind
Belgian growers - despite sometimes heavy local rainfall - have continued harvesting. Viaverda estimates the harvested percentage at 70% to 80% in Flanders (which was 50% at the beginning of last week) and 50% to 60% for Wallonia. This means that, especially for Walloon growers, at least seven to fourteen more days are needed to get everything harvested.

The harvesting progress in the Netherlands so far is almost parallel to last autumn. By October 20th last year, 80% had been harvested. In Belgium, it was 70%. The outcome of the situation is etched in the collective memory. The current situation is fundamentally different. A year ago, the rainfall gauge of the KNMI was well above 100 millimeters and often above 150 millimeters locally. Only the far south is now exceeding 100, although it's quite wet in East Netherlands as well.

Warm autumn weather
This week, we are experiencing calm and above-average warm weather in the Netherlands and Belgium. Temperatures can even reach 20 degrees in Limburg. It's quite cold at night. The high temperatures pose a challenge for storage. The air is too warm and humid for air drying. By the end of October, unsettled weather is expected to return, as indicated by current weather models, bringing back showery conditions.

Many potato growers are not waiting for another series of showers and are trying to get the potatoes harvested as much as possible. This sometimes results in very wet products with a lot of soil attached. Suffocation, due to clogging of the lenticels, is a risk. Crops that have not been treated with MH or where the treatment was not successful may already show the first sprouts. Viaverda notes that certain varieties are very prone to sprouting. Due to the sometimes extremely late planting dates, crops are not always ready to be harvested. Late varieties (Markies, Ramos) sometimes even need to be desiccated!

110,000 hectares to be harvested
In summary, there are nearly 110,000 hectares of consumption potatoes that still need to be harvested in the EU-4. That is 19% of the total acreage. This may sound like a lot - and it certainly is - but not a worrying situation for the second half of October. It does mean that potato growers will need to be in good spirits in the first half of November to successfully complete the harvest.

The overall picture in the EU-4 (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France) still points to an above-average potato harvest this autumn, provided all potatoes are harvested! A rough calculation indicates that the current harvestable area is good for at least 4.6 million tons of potatoes (five-year average EU-4 of 42.87 tons/ha). Nearly a fifth of the total harvest volume.

Yields vary greatly
Reports on yields and quality are very diverse. Fields with cut seed potatoes that then received a lot of water are performing poorly. Growers in the southwest report this frequently. Yields of 25 to 35 tons are more the norm than the exception. On sandy soils, sometimes average to above-average yields are achieved despite the wet conditions. It should be noted that the situation can vary greatly locally. In Belgium as well, yields are not always disappointing, but a later planting date certainly costs kilos.

Concerns about the conclusion of the harvest are not yet present. Larger growers are used to harvesting continuing into November. This is not a problem as long as there is no severe frost. It is clear that the first half of next month will also be fully utilized for harvesting. It's hard to predict the weather during that period. The urgency is felt by everyone. Pushing forward where possible, even if the conditions are more like a passing grade than a high distinction.  

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