The surface area used to produce potatoes in Castile and León, Spain’s largest production area, has decreased by 5.3% for this campaign, amounting to 16,406.78 hectares.
Marco Martín, president of Asopocyl, declares that “this could be a good year for potatoes since the crop looks good and a lower volume of production may suggest a better return in prices.” However, he believes that “in the long term, this decrease is not good news since we need a strong commitment to this crop, on the part of producers as well as the industry and consumers.”
Castile and Leon potatoes make up a healthy crop, in the opinion of Emiliano Marcos, Interagro de Patatas’ manager for the north area. “Everything is taking place under the normality of a campaign that has involved root treatments to prevent mildew and blight.”
The most anomalous factor has been the weather, with heatwaves alternating with cool days, “a situation that the plant dislikes.” Despite all of this, the potato crop has continued to develop and is within its cycle, featuring a tuberization process that is now underway.
