The Swiss government has announced an increase in import quotas for potatoes by 15,000 tonnes, following a poor weather forecast for the upcoming harvest. Christian Bucher, director of Swisspatat, highlighted the challenges faced by potato growers this spring, attributing the difficulties to wet and humid conditions that have led to a "very severe infestation" of late blight.
In response to a request from Swisspatat, the Federal Office for Agriculture has authorized the import of an additional 15,000 tonnes of processing potatoes under the tariff quota starting from September 1, valid until the end of the year. Despite this measure, Bucher expressed concerns that the increased quota may not suffice to meet demand, indicating that the full impact of this year's harvest will only become clear in the coming weeks.
Source: Swiss info