The Expana Benchmark Prices (EBP) for Dutch and Belgian Processing Potatoes Run Steady

The Expana Benchmark Price (EBP) for Dutch processing potatoes remains consistent month-on-month (m-o-m) at EUR150/mt, while the EBP for Belgian Fontane potatoes remains at EUR125/mt.
“Market players describe the market as ‘stable’, with both buyers and growers awaiting a clearer picture of the 2024 harvest,” the Expana experts recently wrote.
The NEPG (North-western European Potato Growers) predicts that regional potato production in the 2024-2025 MY would exceed the 22.7m tonnes output from 2023-2024 due to increased planted hectarage. The updated NEPG projection for potato planted area in the EU-4 (Netherlands, France, Germany, and Belgium) in 2024 is 7% higher year on year (YoY).
The NEPG noted that farmers encountered various obstacles during the 2024 season. A scarcity of seeds pushed up prices, forcing many farmers to rely on chopped seeds. Persistent and heavy rains during planting and summer caused plants to extend over a 10-week time frame, mainly in Belgium and the southern Netherlands, whereas France and Germany were less affected.
Most of the plantings occurred in poor soil conditions, with rains before, during, and after planting in 2024 resulting in one of the worst late blight pressures in recent years. New or evolving blight strains necessitated farmers combining different active ingredients for each treatment, increasing spray costs and the number of treatments, particularly in late-planted areas.