2023 NEPG Potato Production Reveals Losses. 2024 ‘Has Its Challenges’
Potato producers faced challenging weather, high disease pressure, and growing expenses in the 2023 growing season. According to NEPG estimates, at least 650.000 tons of potatoes are lost (in fields or after harvesting), and about 11.000 hectares of potatoes are written off.
There are already difficulties ahead for the upcoming growing season of 2024 since there is a reduced supply of seed potatoes.
The total harvest was 22,7m tons, 5.1% more than in 2022 and almost on par with the five-year average. The expected in-field losses in the NEPG nations are included in these numbers. A total area of 519.583 hectares was used to grow potatoes, a 2.0% increase from 2022. In the NEPG zone, average storage yields were 43,7 t/ha, 1.4 percent more than in 2022.
“Unlike in the rest of the NEPG zone, yields, hectarage, and thus global production in The Netherlands were lower in 2023 compared to 2022. In Belgium, despite the dramatic losses endured by many farmers, global production is up by 18 % thanks to a 7,9 % area increase and overall better yields per ha,” according to a recent press release.
Experts from NEPG report that an increasing number of producers are learning that cultivating potatoes is not only an expensive but also a hazardous endeavor.
“With this in mind, the question arises, how much area should be planted under these market conditions? Better contract conditions do not compensate for higher production costs and bigger risks. On top of that, many fields have been damaged and compacted due to an extremely wet autumn,” they added.
Question Marks About the Potato Seeds Availability
Another concerning issue is the scarcity of seed potatoes; it is unclear how much of the most often used varieties will be available. It’s evident that despite worries about the quality of the seed (when chitted), they will be costly. Seed dealers will probably screen their clients thoroughly, indicating that contracts will affect the availability of seed. There will be a lot more chitted seeds, especially in the unusual medium-sized (45–55 mm) varieties.
Potential yield may be hampered by the effects of more chitted seed on emergence, the number of stems per hectare, and total output. There won’t be as many free-buy potatoes if there are fewer seeds and seeds connected to contracts.
“On the other hand, the processing industry still has a big appetite for increasing production. It will be challenging to contract sufficient acreage to sustain the need for potatoes. It is clear for growers that more risk premium will be needed than before,” the NEPG experts concluded.