Europe: What about seed potatoes?

Ricardo Ortega The sale of extra-early varieties has already begun in the south of Spain, which has sown a good part of the area that was planned. After a spring of 2024 with seed problems, due to scarcity and excessive size, doubts now arise about health. The rains have barely given a break in the main production areas of Europe, from the north of France and Belgium to the southern half of Germany. Just as in the production areas of Palencia and Burgos, it has not stopped raining since August. Many tubers are rotten due to the rains and may affect the sowings of the Peninsula. “In some cases, the seed potato has been harvested with humidity and it will cause problems,” says the agricultural engineer and consultant Fernando Alonso Arce, for whom “it is to be expected that the sowings in the south will have sufficient seed, but as the plantations move northwards the situation will be complicated.” The spotlight has been put on seed potato production areas because this tuber can ...