UNPT Calls for Caution and Strategic Thinking for the French Potato Producers
The recent rise of almost 7% in storage potato surface area in 2024 shows how popular the industry is becoming, thanks to years of research efforts that give producers new insights.
To maintain the sector’s equilibrium across all outlets (fresh, industrial, and starch), France’s rapid expansion, like that of the rest of Europe, calls for extra caution.
“The encouraging announcements of the opening of processing plants in France, predicting an additional demand of more than 40,000 hectares by 2030 are indeed promising. However, it is important to clearly state that these infrastructures are not all operational or even built yet!” a recent UNPT press release reveals.
Many people are thinking of potatoes as a feasible economic alternative in light of the current difficulties facing the grain market and the agricultural industry. While strongly highlighting the significance of starting with a planned and deliberate approach, the UNPT encourages these diversification activities.
To regulate levels and prevent end-of-field sales below production costs, the potato does require a healthy and stable cash flow, extremely large investments, guaranteed technological competence, and a controlled cold storage capacity. Furthermore, the workshop’s income is significantly impacted by increasingly severe weather dangers, such as the catastrophic drought that occurred in 2022 or the excessive humidity and unharvested plots that occurred in 2023.
“The hasty increase in areas without corresponding immediate demand could potentially lead to an excess supply from the next campaign, with direct consequences on prices and market stability for several campaigns. Such a situation would certainly jeopardize the financial profitability of many ‘potato’ farms, both new and well-established,” the UNPT experts mentioned.
Collective management and sectoral structuring are critical in this context. The producer organization not only allows for the collective securing of the production framework with processors, as well as the application of contractual securities negotiated in the inter-professional organization, but it also allows for better adjustment of the volumes produced to the actual market demands.
“The UNPT addresses this message in particular to producers supplying the Belgian fries factories recently established in France and who do not yet have associated groups: you are at the heart of this dynamic and the importance of a collective strategy cannot be underestimated. By organizing yourselves into groups, you will protect both your income and the overall stability of the sector. The UNPT is there to support you, especially if the will of certain actors is there to dissuade you from doing so,” the organization’s representatives added.
The French potato sector has real development potential, but this development must be done in a controlled manner. The UNPT is there to support producers and guide them in this process.
“Together, we can build a sustainable future for our sector, based on reasoned choices and collective management of our development; development resolutely in the hands of farmers,” the UNPT experts concluded.
