W13: Weekly Common & Sweet Potato Update
Europe
Lower Potato Production and Fewer Plantings Planned in the European Union
In addition to lower productivity and fewer potato plants, the season of 2023 will only have a limited amount of free stocks of potatoes. According to the most recent inventory from the Dutch Potato and Onion Growers Association (VTA), for instance, free stocks there are currently 13% lower than they were last season and at least 20% lower than the five-year norm.
In addition, looking ahead to the 2023 campaign, it does not appear that there are many opportunities for a structural increase in the potato area in the Netherlands and Belgium due to the lack of new land to dedicate to this crop, the new CAP, the Green Deal-related greening agreements that must be met, and the rise in potato prices.
Russia
As Part of the FSTP, Work Is Underway to Create Domestic Varieties of Potatoes for Processing
More than half of the 500 potato types in the State Register of Breeding Achievements are domestic. However, according to Sergey Lupekhin, head of the Union of Potato and Vegetable Producers, varieties of foreign selection have so far been the most popular. The Russian government has decided to enhance some crops' seed material self-sufficiency by up to 75% and potatoes' by up to 50% by 2030. To accomplish this, a legislation on seed production was approved towards the end of 2021, and its major provisions will take effect on September 1, 2023.
Planting Potatoes and Vegetables in Dagestan, Russia
Farmers in Dagestan were among the first in Russia to begin sowing potatoes and vegetables. According to the regional Ministry of Agriculture and Food, on March 24, vegetables had been planted on 3,500 ha, or 8.1% of the plan (43,100 ha), and potatoes had been planted on 2,100 ha, or 10.2% of the projected area (20,500 ha). More than half of the total planting area falls in the Khasavyurt district.
The Most Popular Varieties of Potatoes in Russia
More than half of the 500 potato varieties listed in the state record of breeding accomplishments are domestic, yet just 20 of them are the most widely grown, and they are all products of foreign selection.
Uzbekistan
Ultra-Early Potatoes Appeared in Supermarkets of Uzbekistan
Customers in Uzbekistan's capital have had access to ultra-early (young) potatoes from the 2023 harvest for a few days now thanks to film greenhouses. Due to the unusually cold January, this year's novelty of the season, however, appeared approximately a month later and at an average price 1.5 times higher than in 2022. On March 25, 2023, in the capital of Uzbekistan, ultra-early (young) potatoes' retail price stood at USD 3/kg. The price of ultra-early (young) potatoes in 2022 started out at USD 2.1/kg on February 21 and plummeted to USD 1.8/kg two days later.
Canada
Canadian Seed Potato Growers Are Suing the Federal Government
The federal government is being sued by potato growers on Prince Edward Island because it decided to restrict the transportation of their seed potatoes. The shipment of the island's most famous exports, particularly consumption and seed potatoes, was stopped in 2021 by a government decree after potato wart was discovered in several island farms. After the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted the islands' crops the all-clear, ware potato shipments started up again in April 2022. However, until the results of a more complete USDA study, seed potatoes, which make up roughly 10% of the island's yearly potato crop, are still prohibited from export to the US.
Serbia
The vegetable sector of Serbia's exports of fruits and vegetables had the most dramatic modifications in January 2023. For importers of frozen potatoes and onions, 2023 got off to a good start. At the same time, Serbian exporters experienced disappointment in the first month of the year. Additionally, there is a rising demand in Serbia for imported frozen potatoes, the supply of which reached 163MT in January 2023. Austria and Belarus each bought 42MT and 121MT of frozen potatoes respectively.
Turkiye
New Regulations Added for Some Products in Turkiye as of March 26
As of March 26, The Turkish Ministry of Trade added milk, cream, butter, potatoes, dried onions, beans, and red lentils to the list of products whose exports are subject to registration. Previously, the Ministry of Trade registered the export of canned tomatoes and tomato paste in September 2022 and the export of frozen onions and potatoes in December 2022.
Peru
Peru Exported 10,451MT of Potatoes in Various Presentations During 2022
By 2022, 25, total markets were served by 10,451MT of the national tuber exported in different presentations. According to him, Bolivia accounts for 93% of the export volume, followed by the United States with 3.1% and the rest of the world with 3.9%. Regarding the presentations, he clarified that fresh potatoes made up 90.1% of the deliveries, followed by dried potatoes at 3.6%, snack potatoes at 3.2%, frozen potatoes at 2%, and others that represented a margin of 1.1%.
Sweet Potato
Morocco
Morocco Confidently Increases Exports of Sweet Potatoes
Morocco has expanded its exports of sweet potatoes by 67% a year on average over the past few years, and in 2022 it doubled the volume of its supplies, which reached a record 1,200MT. For example, Morocco only exported 90MT of this product in 2017; the following year, exports were restricted to no less than 23MT. Also, 2022 marked the first time in Morocco's history that sweet potato exports were uninterrupted.