Poland: Potato sector alert, billions in gambling and unprotected producers
Although Poland was once a producing powerhouse, it is now facing serious problems that threaten the entire potato sector and could lead to a worrying scenario: the import of alarmingly high quantities of this key product.
The National Council of Agricultural Chambers reported these problems to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, drawing attention to the decline in cultivated area and the lack of availability of Polish potatoes on the market, which is especially painful for seed potato producers, whose number has been reduced to just 169.
Challenges facing potato production.
Over the years, there has been a systematic reduction in the area under potato cultivation in Poland. The reasons for this situation are complex. Producers struggle with a lack of effective plant protection products needed to protect crops from diseases and pests. Climate change is also a growing problem, with manifestations such as periodic droughts and heavy rainfall. Furthermore, it increases the pressure of aphids, leading to virus infection and disqualification of seed potatoes. All this occurs at a time when production costs are rising. However, the largest and most serious problem remains potato blight.
Consequences of detecting bacteriosis and eliminating compensation
The detection of potato bacteriosis, even in a single sample of seed material (200 tubers weighing 25 tons), leads the State Plant and Seed Inspection Service (PIORIN) to decide to dispose of all seed material produced on a given farm. Furthermore, PIORIN’s decisions often also apply to neighboring farmers’ farms, for example, when the same agricultural equipment is used.
In previous years, regulations existed that allowed farmers who implemented the PIORIN decision on seed elimination to receive compensation from the state budget. These compensations, which covered 80% of the difference in the price the farmer would have received from the sale of the seed, represented an opportunity to recover production costs. They were especially important for seed farms, where inputs are the highest, providing them with financial protection. Unfortunately, the regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of June 10, 2024, amended the regulations, abolishing the subsidies that had previously been the only protection for farmers growing potatoes.
Fuente: warzywa.pl
