Consumption and retail sales of potatoes are expected to increase this week (24 August, 2022) as schools re-open after the summer break.
However, several reports indicate that maincrop Rooster yields will be significantly reduced in many areas due to the very warm conditions and lack of rain. New Season Queens are selling for €4.60 to €5.50 ex-farm in 10kg bags.
Meanwhile, meetings with packers and retailers on new season crops are ongoing. The increased cost of production must be reflected in the new season price. Growers cannot sustain another year of highly inflated production and storage costs. The IFA said that price reporting will return shortly as “we are currently in an interim period for new season crops”.
Across Europe, the rain brought by heavy storms through France, Germany, Belgium and up through Eastern/Central Holland has been welcome but agronomists are waiting to see how crops react. Conditions in France are described as “historically dry” and in Germany groundwater levels are “the lowest since 1881” with rainfall this year similar to and slightly below that of 2018.
In the UK, thunderstorms have hit some areas but it is too little too late in many scenarios. Unirrigated crops are unlikely to benefit but there is a lifeline now for crops that have been regularly irrigated.