News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices

Western Australia's potato industry will be deregulated in July and the highly restrictive Potato Marketing Corporation (PMC) abolished by the end of the year.

Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fishing Sid Ahmed Ferroukhi stressed Thursday in Algiers that potato exports will continue during the three upcoming years to reach 70,000 tons.

Potato farmers in Gujarat are a happy lot this year, as they are getting better prices for their produce despite 15% increase in potato production.

The low price of potatoes in the domestic market in Argentina has resulted in a good start for the export of Argentinian potatoes, with a significant increase in demand, mainly from Latin American countries like Brazil and Paraguay.

Fedepapa, the Federation of potato producers in Colombia rejected the repeated requests that the processing industry has made to import fresh potatoes because, according to Fedepapa, Colombia has enough supply.

In Rwanda a new potato processing plant was opened, with the capacity to produce four potato products; chips, french fries, whole peeled potato, and whole cleaned potatoes for sale to super markets and schools.

HZPC Holland bv, wereldleider in aardappelveredeling, heeft de prognoseprijs over Oogst 2015 vastgesteld en verwacht zijn pootgoedtelers in Nederland € 29,50 per 100 kilo te betalen.

Australian vegetable grower body AUSVEG has applauded the decision of the Papua New Guinean Government to temporarily lift the ban on the import of selected Australian fruits and vegetables - including potatoes - for three months.

The rainfall in November, December, and January in the western and central parts of Cuba made it impossible for Cuban farmers to achieve a crop yield similar to the one they got last year, when they harvested 120,000 tons of potatoes.

Drought and hot conditions since September 2015 have a negative impact on yields in almost all the potato production regions in South Africa. Currently market prices are at the highest levels ever, while potato stock levels are at record low levels.

The price of potatoes in Jordan is expected to increase as a significant acreage of the field crop was damaged when temperatures dipped below zero last week.

Costa Rica's Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado (SFE) has informed USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that it will begin issuing import permits for US chipping potatoes beginning February 1, 2016.

Pakistan is expected to have a bumper potato crop this season, which can fetch a record foreign exchange, said an official of Ministry of National Food Security and Research (NFSR).

Over three days in February 2016 at Berlin’s Messe, the worldwide fresh produce industry will be able to meet leading potato and horticulture organisations on the large Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) stand.

As farmers in Pakistan are getting ready for the harvest, false rumors are spread that the Pakistani government has imposed duty on the export of potatoes.

Potato Cooperative Agrico held its central members’ meeting last week. At this meeting the 2014/2015 annual report was discussed.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Jamaica is to conduct research trials on 15 new varieties of imported Irish potato over the next three months, to determine their suitability for local conditions.

Dutch Potato Packer Nedato reports that its long term plan to improve potato quality pays off.