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 Buscador de Noticias
Europa 26/06/2018

Alemania: German new potatoes to encounter balanced trade without price pressure

Due to the optimal weather conditions in Germany and the limited import volumes from Spain, the season of the German early potatoes is just around the corner.

As expected, until the end of the 26th week the last flows of goods from Spain are hitting the market. Thereafter, the mature and high-quality new potatoes from local fields will dominate events. "If the German early potato growers put this upcoming harvest yield on the market sensibly and reasonably, they will encounter a balanced trade without price pressure", says economist Thomas Herkenrath, President of the Potato Trade Association (DKHV) and Managing Director of Fritz Jungnickel GmbH & Co. KG, based in Neuss, Germany.

Spanish new potatoes (source: Thomas Herkenrath)

Connecting goods

The experienced importer and trading partner of the European potato trade is just a week into the main season of Spanish import goods from the main growing regions of Andalusia. “The time window is very short this year because the Spanish growers  had to begin harvesting about two weeks later than normal, due to the weather. In the last few weeks, Spain has been characterized by typical German weather, while Germany saw more typically Spanish weather conditions. This has delayed the start of the season quite a bit.”

Early potato field in Spain (Source: Thomas Herkenrath)

How different is the current situation on the German potato fields: with night time temperatures of more than 13-14 degrees and some showers and sun during the day, with unusually high temperatures of well over 20 degrees, there is currently optimal weather for the growth of new potatoes. “Next week, the supply of Spanish tubers will come to an end. The same goes for Cyprus, Italy, Israel and Egypt. This means that the German producers can meet a fairly tidy market with good, mature and above all high-quality new potatoes. “The connecting goods are still quite good, although a lot could happen before the start of the season, says Herkenrath. In some regions there is a lack of water and if there is no significant rainfall in the next few days, this could have a first effect on the plants. However, if the weather stays as strong as it has been until now, German farmers can switch seamlessly from the supply of new potatoes to the following season.

Spanish tubers, fresh from the soil (source: Thomas Herkenrath)

Challenges

For more than 60 years  the Fritz Jungnickel company has been working in the heart of the Ruhr area; with a population of around 20 million this a huge market for the German potato trade. While regional demand was largely covered by tubers from other regions of Germany until 10-15 years ago, there was a gradual expansion of the local acreage and of potato warehouses.

Nevertheless, according to Herkenrath, a restructuring of the acreage in Germany must take place. “The challenge we have to face is to organize the growing structures over the next three to five years so that the high standards of the food retailing industry and the demand for regional products can be fulfilled. At the same time, however, this means that cultivation in areas with shortages would have to be extended, while the acreage in over-served regions would have to be restricted according to market needs. However, this is not always so easy to realize due to different regional growth and production conditions.”

Despite alarming news over the recent decline in the consumption of potatoes over the last few years, both a marekter and a pioneer of the ’The Potato - Discover its Strength’ campaign, Herkenrath is seeing a positive trend regarding potatoes. The promotions of the Potato

Marketing Company (KMG) on online platforms as well as on radio and television are well received by young consumers in particular.

“The unique characteristics and selling points of the potato are numerous and powerful. The potato is a tasty, nutritious, varied and above all a safe product! Only the best and tubers are being traded. Our producers and the packers are highly specialized and they prepare the potatoes professionally for the customer.’’

But despite the enthusiasm of the younger generation for the potato, Herkenrath also sees challenges for the near future. “The weather will continue to be the biggest and above all the most unpredictable factor for the potato sector and its prices in the coming years. Furthermore, I also believe that the number of specialty farms focusing solely on potato growing will diminish over the next few years. Many smaller growers will certainly consider whether it makes any sense at all to continue producing potatoes due to the high demands of the food retailers and the enforced omission of all kinds of chemicals.”

Trade in food retailing

Mr. Thomas Herkenrath is the longstanding managing director of the Fritz Jungnickel trading company, based in Neuss. The company has been one of the major trading companies in the field of potatoes for many years and has access to products from Andalusian growers. Domestic as well as imported tubers are being sold to packaging companies in Germany, after which they arrive on the supermarket shelves. In addition to this, the company has for a long time been the exclusive marketer of the DRYWITE preservative.

For more information:

Fritz Jungnickel GmbH & Co. KG

GF. Thomas Herkenrath

Josefstrasse 120 - 122, D - 41462 Neuss

Telefon: +49 (0)2131 - 56856-

Telefax: +49 (0)2131 - 50228

E-Mail: info@fjungnickel.de

Web: www.fjungnickel.de

Fuente: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/196947/German-new-potatoes-to-encounter-balanced-trade-without-price-pressure


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