Holanda: I fear that the potato season is going out like a candle
The situation is not easy at the moment in the potato market. "At the start, I believed things looked bright, but we have come to conclude that our expectations were too high," explains Henk van den Berg, of the potato wholesaler Aardappelgroothandel
"For us, it has not been such a bad season so far, but we’ve had to make every effort to keep going."
"I had expected that, with strong exports, we could keep the price stable, but exports have not been good. The Eastern bloc in particular has been purchasing far fewer potatoes than expected. Even Poland has shipped more potatoes to the Eastern bloc. The demand from countries like Romania has also been very disappointing. They preferred to purchase Egyptian potatoes from the second harvest, which were offered to them for 34/35 Euro," says Henk.
"Quality issues are now becoming common, especially with the Agria. You can certainly make money with good Agria potatoes, but the question is whether there will be enough supply. I am afraid that there are no strong price increases in sight. If we can maintain this price level, we should be happy. At the very least, the varieties for fries can still generate some trade. If there are no strong exports now, I do not see it happening in a month," states the trader.
"We are already in mid-March and, in the next two months, there will be a lot of imported potatoes and retailers will be able to acquire potatoes from the new harvest. Spain expects to start harvesting four to five weeks earlier and Egypt has expanded the acreage. I fear that the season will go out like a candle," concludes Henk, who, in his experience, believes things will only become more difficult.
For more information:
Henk van den Berg
LP Kranenburg
Rijnlanderweg 1637
2153 KH Nieuw-Vennep. The Netherlands
Tel: +31 252 620060
info@lpkranenburg.nl
Fuente: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/155147/I-fear-that-the-potato-season-is-going-out-like-a-candle
