2022: More sown but less harvested in the north-west of the EU

Published 2023년 1월 30일

Tridge summary

The article highlights a decrease in potato yields in North European countries, leading to a reduction in global production. Despite planting more land, the total production fell by 1.2 Mt due to climate change and soil issues. This has resulted in record high contract prices for potatoes, which are expected to cover increased production costs and inflation. There is potential for improvement in yields through new genetics and cultivation techniques, including New Breeding Techniques. However, the article notes challenges such as the lack of control over cultivation techniques for farmers renting land and increased risks due to factors like the war in Ukraine, Covid, drought, heat waves, and EU regulations on fertilizers and pesticides. Additionally, the seed production sector may see a decrease, leading to potential shortages and higher prices for growers in the spring of 2024.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The NEPG countries (Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium) have planted more potato area in 2022. Some 14,421 ha more (+2.9%) up to 512,400 ha. However, the lower yields per ha (-6.3%) led to a global production of 21.69 Mt (-5.3%; that is, a reduction of 1.2 Mt). Demand for potatoes is good, with North West European industries keen to buy potatoes for the remainder of the season and 2023/24, leading to record high contract prices, which have risen by 30- Four. Five %. These higher prices should cover much higher production costs, as well as the inflation that growers face, being an attraction for the farmer to plant potatoes. Processors will need at least 500,000 more tons in 2023-2024. Yields per hectare in NEPG countries have been declining over the past 10 years. The main factor leading to reduced yields is climate change, although there is also a combination of soil-related problems such as compaction, lower organic matter content, nematodes, too short rotations…. ...

Source: Agrodigital