The prices currently being negotiated for potato contracts in the 2016 campaign are stable or even higher in Europe's major producing countries, as reported by the Lonja de León in a press release.
It has been observed that the industry is putting pressure on growers for the planted acreage to be expanded, and thus it would be important for a balance to exist between contracted and free market potatoes, since in a normal year, with average yields, it is advisable to be covered.
Moreover, Europe's potato sector has seen strong demand for exports to Eastern Europe and an increase in the shipment of processed products outside the European Union.
In the province of Leon, the planted acreage last season reached 1,530 hectares, with an average yield of 41.6 tonnes per hectare; of which 70% were covered by contracts, either with the industry or cooperatives, and the rest were sold on the open market.