España: French potatoes gaining ground on the Spanish

Most estimates agreed that the cultivated area is similar to last year’s, even though it has fallen in Andalusia, whose production is highly dependent on exports. One of the great problems that the Spanish potato sector has to face is the arrival of French potatoes for storage, as noted by Jesús Carrión, president of Urcacyl’s potato department, in a statement to Agrodigital.

 Potatoes for storage in France are kept in chambers at a temperature of between 5 and 7 °C.This potato is increasingly present in the Spanish market, which results in bottlenecks. As highlighted by Carrión, French potatoes for storage start arriving in mid-November, flooding the shelves of Spanish supermarkets and gaining ground on Spanish potatoes, which are sold to wholesalers and caterers, but fail to reach retailers.

French potatoes have a thinner and more attractive skin than Spanish potatoes, making it more attractive to consumers, according to Carrión, who highlights the importance of informing consumers about the nutritional and taste benefits of new potatoes over potatoes for storage. Furthermore, it is also very important for consumers to be able to distinguish them clearly at the point of sale.In addition to the entry of French potatoes, another problem identified and discussed in the forum has been the fall in consumption in 2015 compared to 2014, reports Carrion.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, there has been a 9% reduction in the consumption of fresh potatoes, while frozen potatoes have registered a 6% drop, resulting in an average decline of 7%. Potato prices have ranged from 0.56 Euro/kg to 1.1 €/kg. Also, it has been observed that consumers increasingly prefer smaller formats or bulk to be able to buy exactly what they need, and that large formats (5 kg bags) have been more limited to promotions.