Belgium: Flemish acreage of potatoes increased, vegetables decreased significantly

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has made an initial preliminary analysis of the total declared area of a selection of main crops from the 2022 single application. The increase in the area of summer cereals and grain maize is at the expense of the area of vegetables, among other things. PotatoesThe acreage of potatoes has increased again this year, after the decrease last year due to the reduced demand for processed potato products at home and abroad during the corona crisis. Consumers then went out to eat significantly less, which translated into less consumption of fries, croquettes and mashed potatoes. VegetablesThe acreage of vegetables has fallen sharply this year, as a result of the sharply increased cultivation costs (seeds, fertilizers, etc.), the reduced demand from the vegetable processing industry and the geopolitical situation that causes farmers to switch to summer cereals and grain maize. The biggest decline in the vegetables sector is the beans. Bean ...