Spain (Andalusia): Almería is the province where potato producers are paid the least.
It was the first to reach the market, but its price has been falling until it is the ’bottom’ in Andalusia.
Bad news for early potato producers in the province of Almería, as this is the region of Andalusia where potatoes are sold most cheaply, according to the latest data from the Andalusian Regional Government, which shows a difference of up to twelve euros per 100 kilos compared to the rest of the regions.
The latest figures available, corresponding to the week of the San Juan long weekend, show that Almería retailers were selling 100 kilos of produce for 33 euros, while in neighboring Granada, the same amount was being sold for up to 44 euros. And this isn’t the biggest difference for the pockets of those who grow this food, as in Málaga, they pay up to 47 euros for the same weight.
A difference that, as has been the case since early potatoes arrived on the market, leaves Almería producers in a worse position than their counterparts in neighboring provinces. This is a final touch to a campaign that is about to end, as most of the produce that began to be planted during the coldest winter months, the busiest time of year, ends its harvest with the arrival of summer, when the harvest of potatoes grown in February and March begins.
Almería has been a victim of a classic economic crisis: supply and demand.
When early product began entering the market, in the last week of April, Almería was the only supplier of this variety, so the highest price per hundred kilos was fifty euros. When Seville joined the market, the price dropped to 48 euros, and has continued to plummet as Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, and Málaga began to harvest.
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