Most of these hectares are now used for growing potatoes for transformation. In some cases, even hectares dedicated to the fresh market have also been redirected towards these markets.
The surface area used for seed potatoes decreased by around 2,500 ha, both in the Netherlands and in France. There have also been drops in Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Scotland. If 10,000 hectares of seed potatoes are also lost in Northwest Europe, this could mean a reduction of 100,000 hectares of ware potatoes for 2024, according to reports from NEPG.
Within this context, the demand for potatoes on the free market has remained firm and continues to do so in all the countries in north-western Europe.
The situation is so urgent that some transformers were ready to accept the last batches of the old harvest at almost any price, even without a contract. The truth is that the offer of batches without a contract was exhausted at the end of June and the beginning of July.
Moreover, sowing was delayed in all European countries due to the rainfall, taking place from mid-April to the beginning of June, with a peak in the second half of May.
All of this has meant that the first harvests in Rhineland, Lower Saxony and Palatinate will not arrive until week 29, while the Belgian harvests (West Flanders), which are larger in size and with more dry matter have not arrived until the first days of August.
