The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) says that Government should provide significant financial support to potato growers, as this would assist in their survival due to increasing input costs. According to the IFA, fewer potatoes will be planted in 2022 as farm input costs continue to rise without growers having the guarantee that they will not be left carrying the full burden of these costs.
The association adds that retailers should increase prices and guarantee a base price for growers for the potato sector to have the confidence to plant this year. IFA national potato chair Sean Ryan says “many growers will simply not plant. They had to pay up-front to secure necessary inputs this spring.”
With the current planting season underway, Ryan claims that there are reports of growers cutting back on production because of costs. According to a recently published IFA-commissioned report potatoes were the only class of fresh produce to decline in price at retail level in 2021. The potato chair says that this drop in shop prices while growers’ costs are increasing is unsustainable.
“Growers who are storing potatoes are being hammered by soaring energy costs whilst receiving the same or less for their produce than they would have last autumn,” Ryan continued. “It’s not a sustainable model and it will evidently lead to supply issues before new season stocks become available next year,” he says. While the margin for growing potatoes has always been tight, according to Ryan, the upcoming season will not be viable if growers don’t receive price increases.
To see more on Irish potatoes, see the Irish Potato Federation (IPF) site.