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

Published 2024년 4월 15일

Tridge summary

The Spanish potato sector is encountering several challenges as it enters the 2023 campaign, including a notable increase in potato imports from Egypt, a decrease in domestic consumption from 20 kg to 18 kg per capita between 2019 and 2023, and a slight reduction in production. These issues are attributed to adverse climate conditions affecting production across Europe, a shift among producers from seed to industrial potatoes due to these climatic challenges and a growing preference for frozen potatoes, and a dramatic rise in imports from Egypt, from 2,463 tons in 2019 to 50,488 tons in the previous year. Furthermore, there's a shift in consumer habits towards frozen potato products, with per capita consumption increasing from 0.9 kg in 2019 to 1.13 kg in 2023.

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

Original content

EPHEAGRUS. 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" decrease 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 ...

Source: Agroclm