News on Potatoes for processing from Belgium

The Sackett family has been growing potatoes in Michigan for six generations since first planting 20 acres of the crop in 1905.

During the last weeks, free buy prices from different North-western European quotations have dramatically fallen, no longer allowing to cover production costs. North-western European Potato growers (NEPG) respond.

The North-western European Potato Growers (NEPG) estimate the area of ware potatoes has increased by 2 to 3%. This is slightly higher than the record in 2020, when it was 522.000 ha for the EU-4 (NL, BE, DE, FR).

The North-western European Potato Growers (NEPG) report on the potato market in the NEPG zone (France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany)

During its last meeting on November 9, 2022, the NEPG estimated that the total potato production 2022 in the NEPG zone (EU-04) will be down by 6 % compared to last year.

During its last meeting prior to Potato Europe 2022, the North-western European Potato Growers (NEPG) estimates that global potato production in the NEPG zone (EU-04) will be down by 7 to 11 %.

The Bernard SME employs 35 people and is almost one hundred years old. It is located in Gomiécourt, 30 minutes from the Arras train station, in the Hautsde-France region on the vast plains of the Artois.

German business Johann Kraut Landwirtschaft is a real potato specialist: the family-run 90-hectare (220-acre) at Bergkirchen, Bavaria, is now in the third generation and has been growing Potatoes for more than 50 years.

The European Potato Processors’ Association (EUPPA) released a special report highlighting progress made in recent years by the sector across key areas of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Interpom 2021 is fast approaching – we are now on the home stretch! After a whole year of postponement, Interpom will finally be held on Sunday 28, Monday 29, and Tuesday 30 November 2021 in Kortrijk Xpo (B).

No one could miss it in the media last year: the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Belgian potato sector hard.

The NEPG (North-Western European Potato Growers) estimates that the total harvest will be 27.9 million tons this season if all potatoes in the ground will be indeed harvested. The harvest is later than usual with all the risks involved.

Last week, the North-western European Potato Growers (NEPG) association announced their harvest estimate for the 2020/2021 season.

The foodservice demand for potato products has dropped with 50 – 60 % and the export markets have lost their potential, so the world-wide potato-processing industry has reduced their capacity and need for raw material. More than 2 million tons will probably not been processed in the NEPG mainland potato countries only.

Last year, despite the difficult growing conditions as a result of the extreme heat and drought during both the 2018-2019 and the 2019-2020 seasons, the Belgian potato-processing industry once again improved the record for processed potatoes.

Due to COVID-19 the free market of potatoes has completely collapsed. The PCA/Fiwap and the Belgapom price quotation has been suspended because of a lack of transactions on the free market of potatoes.

On 4 and 5 September the international potato fair PotatoEurope 2019 will take place in
Tournai. That the fair continues to grow is demonstrated by the fact that there are almost
20% more exhibitors from 17 different countries.

The potato cannot be burned from the news. This week it turned out that Belgian growers are settling in northern France because the Belgian area is almost exhausted.