The late potatoes from the Spanish province of Leon have recorded another price increase in the past week. "Here, in the late area, the most demanded variety is the Agria. We are the last to deliver potatoes in all of Europe and the price increase is a consequence of the fact that, in general, there has been a more limited supply," says Guillermo Mantecón, a potato producer and member of Prodeleco.
The weather conditions in the main producing countries of Europe, especially excessive rains, have caused part of the production to remain on the farms, and another significant part may have suffered damage, given that their condition was not optimal for its preservation.
"We have heard that, especially in the Netherlands, a lot of potatoes for consumption have been damaged, but the seed potato production has also been affected, with many batches failing to pass the necessary controls to allow them to be marketed and ending up discarded. In fact, that will be a problem this campaign as there will be less seed to plant."
France has also slowed down its exports "to assess what stock remains and what qualities, and see if they will be able to properly supply their customers. Our cooperative has already been receiving calls from several potato chip factories, which in the last 10 days have not received any potatoes from France and have had to resort to Spanish potatoes until the issue is solved," says Guillermo.
As highlighted by the Lonja de León, it should be recalled that Europe has practically banned all anti-sprouting agents that allowed producers to preserve the potatoes in their warehouses in an optimal state for a long period, and therefore, their preservation is now carried out in refrigerated chambers, of difficult access for producers due to their high cost.
"To this we must add that it is much more difficult and more expensive to control germination. We estimate that it is up to 300% more expensive than before, and with much less effectiveness. It is a difficult problem to address, because while I consider it good for something toxic to be eliminated, if the rest of the world considers that it is not, you start to doubt. It also ends up making it harder for us to keep the product in good condition."
In the last session, all varieties recorded increases. The Agria potato from León rose almost 10% compared to last year, reaching 350 euros/ton, while the Kebennec, Red Pontiac, Red Scarlett, Hermes and Yona rose almost 7%, to 310 euros/ton.
"These are very good prices for the late potato here in León. Last year, in fact, we already charged about 30 euros more per ton compared to the previous campaign," says Guillermo, although this price dynamic does not end up encouraging León farmers to increase their production. "Generational replacement is a big problem in León," he says. "Right now, we are looking for young producers to continue with the activity, but many prefer other crops. This year, there could even be less production due to the issue of the limited availability of potato seeds, because we don't know if there will be seeds for everyone."
For now, the prices paid for Spanish potatoes have been very good for León growers, "and a further increase is expected."
This situation will be advantageous for León farmers, but Galician potato producers could benefit even more, he says. "More growers there have their own refrigerated chambers, so they will be able to store their production and wait for the perfect moment to sell."
For more information:
Guillermo Mantecón
Tel.: +34 646 272 778