Half 1 (H1) 2021 A-INSIGHTS’ frozen potato aggregated statistics show that global trade volume is up 0.5% compared to 2019 and prices down 4.7% year-to-date (YTD).

Latest A-INSIGHTS’ (June insights) market monitor report shows that YTD frozen potato products volume has recovered to pre-COVID levels, due to a strong trade in June, and also that the prices stabilized.

“Aside from the US, France, and New Zealand, all major exporters saw volumes increase compared to 2019. Prices remain below the high level of 2019 but are slightly above the 2015-2020 average of EUR0.81/kg. Especially European producers export at lower prices than in 2019, as the higher price level due to bad harvests in 2019 was most apparent in Europe,” the A-INSIGHTS experts wrote in their report.

January-June (H1) US Imports Remain Strong

According to the same document, compared to pre-COVID 2019 H1, with a monthly import volume of 107.9 thousand tons in June, US frozen potato imports remain strong, up 26.2% in this year’s H1.

“The additional volume is largely supplied by Canada, with the US responsible for almost all additional export from its northern neighbor. Recovery is mixed in Europe, with France, Spain, and Germany continuing to experience the effects of social restrictions, whilst the UK, Italy, and Germany show signs of recovery,” the research company’s specialists explained.

Aided by Low Prices, Belgium Outperforms Dutch Exports in Europe and the Americas

The effects of the pandemic have been substantially less profound for Belgian exports than for Dutch exports, that is why Belgium saw exports decline by 4.2% in 2020, compared to 19.3% for the Netherlands.

“Belgium appears to have benefited from its lower price levels (EUR0.70/kg vs. EUR0.82/kg in 2020 H1), mainly in Europe and the Americas. Despite a minor decline in exports to Europe, Belgium has surpassed its 2019 export volume by 3.6% in 2021, whilst Dutch exports remain 8.3% than pre-COVID levels,” the A-INSIGHTS experts concluded.