The potato market is not very exciting, as there is less movement than everyone had hoped. According to Jaap Kodde of Flevostar the market has not moved at all as the potato trade had thought it would. “A while ago it went up a bit, but at the moment it is very quiet. There is both national and international trade, but nothing special is happening. This season it all seems a bit undecided.”
Belarus as competitor
Flevostar exports a lot to the Balkans, but they frequently met Belarusians there this year. “They did not have Russia as consumer this year, and sold their potatoes cheap on several markets we are active on. Dutch quality is at a high level, but for most, price is the deciding factor. That is why the cheaper option is then chosen.” Another reason for the calm situation on the market is that most of potato-producing countries had sufficient harvests themselves.
Meandering on
Nationally it is carrying on well enough according to Kodde. “It is not going great, but it meanders on. A lot is dependent on weather conditions. Next week is apparently going to be warmer, so that could have a lot of influence.” He notes that national consumption has been stable compared to last year, and it fortunately has not declined.
Hope for England
Kodde finds it hard to make predictions far into the future. “It is quiet now, but that might still change at any moment. All European nations are watching each other and looking for potential markets. Personally I still have a little hope for England, but they will mostly have processing potatoes. At present most processors still have sufficient stocks. Some problems with quality could possibly arise at the end of the season. The extremely hot weeks last summer will definitely have an impact on the storage quality, the storage problems with Agria still exist. These lots have to be cleared now, particularly because ventilation and cooling become more difficult with higher temperatures.”
