News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices

Since potato prices in West Bengal are fixed by state government, smuggling of potatoes to surrounding Indian states that do not have fixed potato prices has become a major issue.

West Bengal state government today started selling potato at Rs 13 a kilo, a price pegged by chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on a day potato traders in Bengal began a 3-day strike to protest the administration’s ban on selling the tuber to other states.

While the potato industry is still waiting for clearance to be allowed to send fresh potatoes to Australia, a new market is rapidly opening up. The industry has high hopes for a new market in Vietnam.

In Spain, a new potato organisation was established: "Foro Espanol de la patata", the Spanish Potato Forum.

According to Romain Cools from Belgapom it is a fact that the consumption of fresh potatoes by Belgian families is falling, but he expects the prices to remain high.

Potato prices have almost doubled in most parts of India over the past one week. While most states are yet to take steps to check the spike in prices, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called a meeting on October 30 to review the situation.

Last year Henk van den Berg sold his potato business of the same name to Lean Kranenburg, and since then he has been active as Sales Manager at the company in Nieuw Vennep. Henk calls the current situation on the potato market dangerous.

Food industry buyers and professionals in Burma received their first taste of U.S. frozen and dehydrated potato products with the United States Potato Board’s (USPB) participation in the U.S. Food &Beverage Agent Show.

Bangladesh potato export in the first two quarters until June 2013 fell by 33 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year.

As part of bilateral effort to ease trade barriers, Mexican potatoes will gain access to the US market under a new US Department of Agriculture proposal.

Over the next 5 years, northwest European potato prices are expected to gradually climb and elevated price volatility set to persist, according to a new report by Rabobank.

Victorian potato growers will face fewer quarantine restrictions when selling their potatoes interstate.

The European Union has granted Lebanon the right to export 50,000 tons of potatoes, reversing a decadelong export prohibition, the Lebanese Agriculture Ministry said Monday.

Potato production in Bangladesh in fiscal year (FY) 2012-13 hit a new record of 8.603 million tonnes surpassing the past record of 8.38 million tonnes in FY'11.

Total US potato and product exports for FY13 (July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013) increased 4 percent in value to $1,639,911,793 and also rose 4 percent in volume to 1,561,896 metric tons (MT)--both record levels.

Vietnamese and GB authorities have approved an importation protocol for the import of British seed potatoes into Vietnam.

Yield trials of the Dutch Farmers Union VTA indicate a yield mid August 19 percent below the 5-year average.

Potato prices are expected to rise with this year’s average crop, ?bringing them back in line with the cost of production