Effect of war in Ukraine and sanctions to Russia in the potato trade

The potato trade is being heavily affected by the war in Ukraine and by the sanctions imposed on Russia. There are different views regarding the possible consequences in the months ahead among operators. Few points, however, are commonly shared. The impossibility of trading towards these two countries has caused an oversupply of stock of seed potatoes, a product that both Russia and Ukraine used to import from the EU actively. This has contributed to a slight decrease in the sowing costs, but the general increase in the cost of energy has heavily affected the general production costs.

For the months ahead, it is thought that countries that have usually exported mainly to the EU will now try to redirect their exports towards Russia, hoping to fill the gap left by the EU. This could bring as a consequence less supply of foreign product to Italy. Therefore, the scenario of the months ahead is thought to be characterized by a contraction in foreign product availability and a general price increase.