There was little change for ware potatoes: the range of varieties remained the same and as supply and demand were well balanced, prices mostly remained at the same level as the previous week. The first Cypriot Annabelle and Spunta potatoes arrived: in Munich, they were too expensive to ensure brisk sales. In Berlin, on the other hand, customers were happy to buy them despite the high prices.
In the 2023/24 marketing year, almost seven million tons of potatoes were available for domestic use. Around 76%t were consumed as food: per person, this was 63.5 kilograms (2022/23: 55.7 kilograms). This is the highest per capita consumption of potatoes in twelve years, according to preliminary figures from the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL).
Higher yield despite poorer harvest conditions:
In 2023, domestic farmers harvested around 11.6 million tons of potatoes from 264,700 hectares – compared to the previous year, the yield increased from 40.1 to 43.8 tons per hectare. Challenges such as frost or very wet fields affected potato harvests regionally and led to an increased risk of late blight. Adjusting harvest conditions, such as harvesting later or the controlled use of pesticides, could be reasons for the nevertheless higher yield compared to 2022. The degree of self-sufficiency in the 2023/24 financial year was 153% (2022/23: 157%).
Rhineland-Palatinate:
On the potato market, Christmas sales are boosting demand. Sales in farm shops are also now brisker than they have been recently. Producer prices are continuing to firm up, but, as reported, this is based on good quality. Goods with significant defects are being traded at lower prices. Supply is sufficient, and the procurement of goods is not restricted by availability until after the turn of the year. The mild weather is not affecting logistics.
North Rhine-Westphalia:
The potato market is running smoothly. The Christmas trade is expected to further boost sales. The industrial potato market remains firm. REKA is quoting a markup of €1.50 to €2.50/100 kg, depending on the variety.
Brandenburg:
This year's potato yield in Brandenburg was 391.4 decitons per hectare. According to the Berlin-Brandenburg State Office for Statistics, the harvest was almost 15% higher than in 2023 and 26% above the long-term average (2018 to 2023). The only year with a higher yield was 2014 (428.1 decitons per hectare). The harvest was positively influenced by the full soil water reserves and favorable growing conditions for root crops.
In 2024, 417,200 tons of potatoes were harvested in Brandenburg on around 10,700 hectares. This was 70,500 tons more than in the previous year. At the same time, this harvest yield was 83,100 tons above the long-term average (2018–2023). Most potatoes were grown on 3,400 hectares in the district of Teltow-Fläming, 2,200 hectares in the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin, and 1,800 hectares in the district of Prignitz.
Schleswig-Holstein:
Christmas trade in food retailing is only picking up slowly. In some cases, special offers are stimulating demand. The supply is still well in line with demand. Intermediate warehouses are still being cleared. Added to this are batches that are critical in terms of storage. Sorting is reducing the supply. The price range remains quite high due to the different qualities. Even if demand picks up noticeably during the Christmas week, significant price increases at the producer level are hardly expected. Exports are reported to be continuing nationwide. On the other hand, there have already been imports of quality ware from France.
Lower Saxony:
"The volume of table potatoes offered to us can be easily placed thanks to the steady export volume," according to the latest market report from Heidesand eG. Meanwhile, the qualities are very mixed and some of them require intensive processing. This is also evident from the high losses during processing.
Christmas trade is going well, reports BVNON in its last market report of the year.
Hesse:
In the state of Hesse, there have been no price changes compared to the previous week.
Saxony:
In Saxony, too, potato prices remained unchanged compared to the previous week.
Bavaria:
Potato and beet cultivation in Bavaria is currently threatened by the new disease patterns of Stolbur and SBR. Since there are no specific control strategies yet, it is important to join forces and act quickly. On 26 November, the potato and sugar industry therefore accepted an invitation to the Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture to describe the dramatic situation.