Potato harvest in Latvia will be lower than last year, quality will be worse

Published Aug 28, 2024

Tridge summary

Latvia's potato harvest is expected to have lower yields and quality this year due to storm damage and varied weather conditions, including flooding and drought. The storm especially affected Zemgale, causing significant potato losses, while Vidzeme's harvest remains relatively stable. As a result, local potato prices are expected to rise, and farmers may face additional costs for sorting and selecting damaged potatoes. The Zemnieku saeima association is calling for insurance companies to develop products that cover potato fields from rain and drought risks, to mitigate financial losses.

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

Original content

In Latvia, it is predicted that this year's potato harvest and its quality will be worse than the year before, EastFruit reports. Representatives of the Zemnieku saeima association note that a strong storm at the end of July affected not only the rapeseed, grain and pea harvest, but also the potato harvest. In some farms in Zemgale, the potatoes were flooded and began to rot, while in Latgale there was a drought. Thus, this year's potato harvest and its quality will be lower, and the price of local potatoes will increase. The association points out that the damage from the storm affected Zemgale the most, in particular, in some places in Dobele almost the entire potato harvest was lost. However, there are fields in Zemgale where excess moisture and rot are not observed, since the potatoes were planted in sandy and higher areas. "Unfortunately, growing potatoes is like a game of chance: if the summer is dry, those who planted potatoes in lower and wetter places are lucky. But in ...

Source: Eastfruit