Harvesting early and yields below average for La Patata dal Cuore Veneto in Italy

This year too, the harvesting of Cuore del Veneto potatoes in the Verona, Vicenza and Padua has started one week early, in June. The main obstacle is drought, as it rained very little in the winter making harvesting particularly difficult and costly, further affecting production costs that are already 30% higher than they used to be.

Yields are expected to drop due to the drought, but quality so far has been good, with an excellent color that also makes it suitable for exports.

The campaign has just started and commercialised volumes are still low: the prices for early potatoes (EUR 0.27-0.28/kg (about USD 0.27-0.28/kg)) are satisfactory, so it will be possible to deal with the higher costs if they remain like this.
 

Some producer companies have gathered to have more bargaining power within the distribution system and reach a more competitive shelf position in big retail chains.

"Consorzio dal Cuore Veneto" is in fact made up by various cooperatives and packaging and distribution centers. It gathers over 500 hectares in total producing 26/27,000 tons of potatoes.

The consortium produces potatoes with a typically golden color employing state-of-the-art agronomic techniques, and aims at using the strength of the group to make the market recognise the value of the produce while pursuing environmental, economic and social sustainability.