Europe: Very Late and Difficult Potato Planting Conditions Are Causing Concern
In several of the major potato production zones, very late and difficult planting conditions, as well as widespread emergence difficulties, are causing concern. The setting for the upcoming season will continue to be shaped by increased European processing capacity and a supply/demand ratio that benefits farmers.
“[…] Given the conditions of the current campaign, the growing risks affecting production, and market trends (competitiveness and consumption), this in no way guarantees a sustainable future for the sector,” according to the latest NEPG press release.
Experts predict that in 2024, potato hectarage will rise throughout the NEPG zone. Although official statistics are still scarce, the growth may have increased by 4% to 6%. This spring, the planting schedule spanned eight to ten weeks, with the final plants continuing until last week. The stages of current fields range from just planted to fully blossoming and tuberization’s finish (with tubers the size of goose eggs).
“Emergence problems are widespread with between a few percent to more than 80 % not sprouting due mainly to rotting tubers, especially in Belgium and The Netherlands. The use of the cut seed, delays in plantings, multiple desprouting, difficult planting conditions, and lots of rainfall has rendered the whole planting and emergence season very complicated. Written off fields due to heavy rainfall and flooding are common, mostly in the Benelux and parts of Germany (Bavaria),” the NEPG representatives mentioned.
They claim that the issues with the seeds have not yet been resolved. The Netherlands’ seed production area is steady, despite France’s increasing seed production. Additionally, flooding has severely damaged and sometimes destroyed hundreds of hectares of seed across the nation.
“There is no clear indication yet on how tuberization and tuber count is and will be,” the experts explained.
The need for further processing capacity and processing demand across the NEPG zone is still growing, primarily in France and then sporadically in other nations. However, recent sales of processed foods, such as frozen chips, have stabilized or decreased. The market is becoming more competitive, not just with North America but also with nations like China, India, Turkey, and Argentina. When making plans for future investments or expansion, growers need to be aware of these developments.
“Risks potato farmers are taking have never been so high. The combination of expanding problems linked to climate change, this season’s high blight pressure combined with resistance of some new Phytophthora strains, less fungicide availability, and the current use of chipping and crisping varieties which are susceptible to blight and need a lot of spraying, is rendering potato cultivation evermore risky. Growers have to produce what they reasonably and sustainably can, taking into account increasing disruptive weather patterns and water availability,” the experts concluded.
