Nedato: 'Tight potato market after busy harvesting period'

Although the drought in the Netherlands resulted in very challenging harvesting circumstances, by now the potatoes have practically all been harvested.

Heero Gramsma, Nedato:

“An enormous amount has been harvested in a short time. Remarkably, that did not cause pressure on the market, so apparently the majority is in storage.”

“Now that the harvesting period is reaching its end, there has to be a reason to open the barn, and the potatoes will not be available for the same price as recently harvested potatoes.”

“The quotations are in, and the market is playing itself on that level. The market is tight, and it has every reason to be so, considering the published harvesting figures in Europe. The harvest is significantly lower. The industry market is growing and needs materials. There is a good demand, and a seriously smaller supply. That is the image of the market nowadays, and that offers plenty of perspective.”

“Quality is much talked about, and there naturally are extreme batches, but fortunately, we also have plenty of decent product. The last potatoes harvested will definitely not be the worst.”

“We have good demand for both for chips and table potatoes. Domestic is doing well, and export figures show that 12,000 additional tonnes of consumption potatoes were exported compared to 2015, amounting to the highest export quantity of the past three years. An important factor and almost solely responsible for this increase is Belgium, with over 10,000 tonnes more. That can be explained by the fact that it was difficult to harvest in Belgium”

“Spain and Switzerland also both bought greater volumes of potatoes, which is early for the time of year. Overseas exports increased by 3,500 tonnes, which is a good figure, considering the higher prices. A normal amount of potatoes was imported, 144,000 tonnes, 80 per cent of which came from Germany."

“All in all, plenty of opportunities this potato season,” Gramsma concludes.