The potato campaign in Spain starts with doubts due to Egyptian imports and lower consumption

Published 2024년 4월 15일

Tridge summary

The Spanish potato sector is grappling with several challenges as the 2023 campaign kicks off, including a notable increase in imports from Egypt, which surged from 2,463 tons in 2019 to 50,488 tons in the previous year, and a significant rise in import value by 2,100% from 1.1 million euros to 24.9 million euros. Domestic consumption has also declined from 20 kg per capita in 2019 to 18 kg in 2023, alongside a worrying 11.7% drop in household consumption of potatoes in less than five years. Production is anticipated to decrease slightly due to climate effects, such as high temperatures and worsened plant health, particularly impacting seed potatoes. This has led to a shift among producers towards planting industrial potatoes, driven by climatic challenges and a rising consumption of frozen potatoes, despite the figures for frozen potatoes not being considered very significant yet. Regional forecasts are mixed, with Seville expecting a record harvest due to recent rains, while areas like Castilla y León foresee a decrease in production and a change in potato varieties.

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

Original content

The potato campaign has started with concern in the sector due to the increase in purchases of products from Egypt and the drop in consumption, which has gone from 20 kg/per capita in 2019 to 18 in 2023, all of this in a context in which producers warn of a "slight" decline in production. This was explained in statements to Efeagro by the president of the potato committee of the Spanish Federation of Associations of Fruit and Vegetable Exporters (Fepex), Alfonso Sáez, who has warned that a shortage of seed potatoes is occurring. . The main reasons for this scenario are, on the one hand, the effects of the climate, which have led to a drop in production due to high temperatures, especially in European countries such as France, Denmark and the Netherlands, and a "worsening" of the state of plant health. "We have had more seed rejections in the plots," Sáez summarized when talking about the plant health conditions of the crops. On the other hand, a change is taking place in the ...

Source: PEefeagro