This year's sweet potato harvest in the state of Lower Saxony was completed a fortnight ago with mixed results. "Especially for the rooted cuttings it was a difficult growing year. Overall, the harvest volume is about 20 per cent below the level of the previous year," reports Ernst Lütje of the Gaus-Lütje GbR company based in Wasbüttel. He produces mainly the two varieties Bellevue and Orléans on a total of 4 ha and has harvested the sixth crop on his farm this year.
Gaus-Lütje GbR is still supplying its customers with alternative goods, but the first new-grown tubers will soon find their way into the shops. "Storage was difficult in the first few years, but for the last two years we have been able to supply sweet potatoes 12 months a year. Marketing-wise, the initial hype is now out and we have now found a stable group of buyers, consisting of food retail outlets in the Hanover, Braunschweig, Wolfsburg area."
In addition, the innovative company is also planning to launch an online shop for private buyers at the Green Week in Berlin in January 2024. "Here we will not only offer fresh edible potatoes and sweet potatoes, but also the sweet crisps that we have been producing for several years in close cooperation with a regional start-up."
The demand for sweet potatoes is relatively high at the beginning of the new marketing season in autumn until late spring. Due to holidays and heat, demand is somewhat lower during the summer months.
Sweet potato as a complement to the portfolio
Interest in sweet potato cultivation on the producer side has also increased dramatically in recent years. Lütje: "There are newcomers, also in our region, but many drop out again after one or two years. In this respect, the wheat is being separated from the chaff. There is appreciation in the trade, but the trees don't grow to the sky." Logistics is also a decisive factor. "In this respect, we are fortunate in that most of our food retail customers come directly to us and we can supply them with sweet potatoes as well as table potatoes. In this respect, sweet potatoes have primarily established themselves as a supplement to our portfolio."
Ernst Lütje preparing his sweet potatoes
Increasing efficiency and taxation
After years of tinkering, the farmer has succeeded in growing regional sweet potatoes without chemical pesticides. Lütje: "We also have the issue of weed control well under control by now. Nevertheless, sweet potato cultivation still involves a lot of manual labour. I still see room for improvement by reducing the amount of work and increasing the market produce yield at the same time. In my opinion, these are the two levers that exist in sweet potato cultivation."
Lütje also points to taxation at the point of sale in this context. "The sweet potato, unlike the table potato, is not considered a staple food and is accordingly taxed at 19 instead of 7 per cent. This not only makes the product considerably more expensive for the end consumer, but it also results in a lot of money being lost along the way from the producer's point of view. Otherwise, prices have remained relatively fixed in recent years."
Images: Gaus-Lütje GbR
For more information:
Gaus-Lütje GbR
Haaslop 1
38553 Wasbüttel
Telefon: +49 (0) 5374 3504
Telefax: +49 (0) 5374 2821
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.gaus-luetje.de