Iralanda: Irelands potato market back on track

After a few bad years for the potato industry, it looks like it’s back on track.

According to data from Kantar Worldpanel, value was up 14% in 2015 and volume was up 6.5%. While there have been increases in volume and value over the past seven years, the two have not grown simultaneously until last year. Frequency of purchase has also recovered, with shoppers making 34 trips a year to buy potatoes in 2015, up from 32 trips in 2014 and the major low of 31 trips in 2011.

Discount stores

Interestingly, discount stores like Aldi and Lidl are managing to get people to buy more potatoes than their more established rivals Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes Stores. According to Cliona Lynch of Kantar Worldpanel, this mainly has to do with the fact that they had a smaller sales base to begin with.

Marketing campaign

Last September, Bord Bia, in conjunction with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Irish Potato Federation, embarked on an EU and industry funded three-year promotional campaign for potatoes in Ireland and the UK.

The campaign, Potatoes: More Than A Bit On The Side, worth €1m in Ireland, aims to raise the image and profile of potatoes, which have seen falling consumption levels in recent years.

Bord Bia estimates there has been a 50% decrease in volume per household over the last decade.

The campaign is specifically targeted towards 22- to 44-year-old females, 33% of whom said in a survey that they believe potatoes to be “fattening”.

The campaign aims to grow the retail potato market by 28,000 tons, increase the frequency of potato purchase by 6% and increase the health perceptions of potatoes by 8% with consumers.

So far, consumers have responded positively to the initial burst of marketing activity last year. Some 55% of people surveyed on the campaign said they now believe potatoes can be used in more recipes than originally thought, 39% said they would eat more potatoes and 57% said the campaign prompted them to try new recipes with potatoes.

Value of potato industry

IFA national chair Jer Bergin welcomed the marketing initiative, which is funded by growers, packers and the Department of Agriculture, saying: “This investment by growers is important for their future and must deliver a greater market return for potato producers. The potato industry is worth nearly €80m at farm gate.”

There are 500 potato growers in Ireland, with total area of production covering 20,692 acres (8,374ha) in 2015. The most popular variety is Roosters (almost six in 10 potatoes planted and purchased in Ireland are Roosters) and the key production counties are Meath, Dublin, Louth, Wexford, Cork and Donegal.