News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from United Kingdom

As the first month of import and export data of potatoes and potato products after Brexit is in, the AHDB takes a closer look at the data and what they could mean. Across all potato product categories recorded, UK imports and exports have fallen from December with figures at the lowest reported this marketing season.

AHDB Head of Export Trade Development for Potatoes, Patrick Hughes spoke of the importance of the EU market to seed potato growers and how he was hoping for a rapid resolution to the prohibition on UK exports to the Continent.

The Scottish seed potato industry has harnessed willing buyers in Europe to support their efforts to get the European Commission to re-think its current ban on the importation of UK seed stocks – yet the chances of success remain 50/50.

Grower held potato stocks in Great Britain, as at the end of November 2020, are estimated to total 3.27Mt. This is up 12.5% (363Kt) from 2019 and 4.7% (147Kt) to the 5-year average (2015-2019).

Albert Bartlett, one of Scotland’s best-known potato companies, enjoyed a boost in sales and profits last year.

The Scottish Government has said the seed potato industry is facing disaster through the Brexit deal. Exports of seed potatoes - a vital Scottish export - will not be part of a trade deal between the UK and EU

The GB potato industry accounts for over 117.46Kha of planted area this year, and is represented by 1,611 growers in 2020. Growers have faced difficult seasons of late.

The total harvest of British potatoes this year will be 5.3m tonnes according to provisional estimates – up two point eight per cent (2.8%) on last year’s figure but just below the five-year average of 5.4m tonnes.

The European Union brought in $4 billion of tariffs earlier this month. The tariffs will affect a whole range of imported products, with grapefruit and sweet potatoes among them.

With the coronavirus pandemic hitting the UK domestic potato trade, we have estimated a 1% drop year-on-year in the GB potato area for 2020/21, with the provisional area standing at 119Kha.

The latest trade data provided by the United Kingdom customs agency (HMRC) provide an overview of the full season of July-June 2019/20. Data shows that both imports and exports of potatoes (fresh and frozen) were down YOY and against the 3-year average.

In mainland Europe the widespread closure of restaurants and other food service outlets has meant that demand for processed potato products has fallen significantly.

Haith Group, a leading designer and manufacturer of potato handling equipment, used the Fruit Logistica (5-7 February) to ramp-up its post-Brexit preparations as the company looks to continue its excellent European export levels.

This autumn has been the wettest across England since 2000 and the fifth wettest on record. These conditions have hampered lifting across GB, with progress particularly slow in Yorkshire and the North of England.

Potato processors in the United Kingdom and their growers express again extreme concern about the potato supply, due to wet weather and potato varieties grown for processing in particular affected.

British farmers have persevered in the face of adversity to complete 89 per cent of the potato harvest during the wettest year so far since 2012.

British potatoes have been delisted from a number of lines in Poland’s largest supermarket due to fears of a no-deal Brexit, according to a large UK potato exporter, which has had to cancel orders with its growers as a result.

The fresh chipping sector makes up about 12% of total potato production in Great Britain. The market follows season trends with demand driven by chip shop footfall throughout the year.