With the arrival of Cypriot and Italian table potatoes, the range changed slightly. However, according to the BLE, the offers still generated little attention, as they were too expensive on the one hand and, on the other, the quality of ware potatoes was still convincing. Business was generally calm and prices mostly remained at the previous level.
The harvest of table potatoes in Germany has shrunk for the third time in a row, AMI reports. Compared to the already scarce previous year, there is a shortfall of around 4 percent. The declines in the north are well above average. In contrast, slightly more potatoes were grown in the west and south, although the harvest in Bavaria, for example, was again below average. In the north, the decline is probably mainly due to the reallocation of areas under cultivation for table potatoes to the cultivation of processing potatoes.
As some goods had already been sold by the time they went into storage, stocks shrank even more. Overall, the decline in stocks could amount to just over 10 percent. In addition to the north, stocks in the west are also expected to be smaller than in 2022. The picture is very different for potatoes for the production of French fries. Their harvest volume grew by 12 percent.
Lower Saxony:
Christmas business got off to a good start, while increased demand could be met. The wintry conditions made loading potatoes more difficult.
Rhineland-Palatinate:
Producer prices are firm. Field potatoes have disappeared from the market due to the weather, and almost exclusively stock potatoes are being processed. The market for table potatoes is balanced, the supply is fully utilized. Stored potatoes are mostly of good quality, the batches were carefully sorted before storage. With normal seasonal sales, an upturn in farm gate sales is expected around the holidays. Tolls and thermal transporters make logistics more expensive.
NRW:
Demand on the ware potato market remains appealing. The clearing of the storages is progressing rapidly. The relevant issue on the industrial market is the potatoes still to be harvested. It already seems certain that part of the harvest is definitely lost.
Schleswig-Holstein:
Producer prices remained unchanged in the current week. There is a wide price range depending on quality and storage. At the beginning of the month, special offer sanctions were introduced in the food retail sector, which resulted in slightly higher volume sales. However, it is currently not possible to push through higher prices. Even the press reports in the previous week about unharvested potato fields due to wet conditions and the onset of winter have not led to a sustained increase in demand. Potatoes for industrial use are more affected here. Nevertheless, price premiums are also supporting prices for table potatoes.
Hesse:
There have been no price changes on the Hessian potato market compared to the week before.
Bavaria:
A small potato yield is meeting a high demand, Johann Dittenhauser, junior manager of Agropa, told the weekly DLV. "Last year's harvest of 1.4 million tons in Bavaria was around 20 percent below the long-term average. Marketing ended relatively early in March, which is still having an impact on the market. From then on, gaps had to be closed and goods had to be marketed in advance."