W1: Weekly Common & Sweet Potato Update
Common Potato
Netherlands
Consumer Potatoes Are Cheaper in the Netherlands, but Grower Prices Are Rising
The consumer price index for potatoes in September 2022 was 134 points, which is 1% higher YoY, but 7% less than the consumer price two months earlier. At some time, it is anticipated that increased potato and producer prices will also result in higher consumer costs. A significant global demand for potato products results from the post-Corona surge, brought on by the reopening of fast food and catering establishments. The potato market has shifted as a result. In the meanwhile, the industry has raised contract prices for the 2022/23 growing season as a result of producers' dramatically increased production costs.
United Kingdom
British Potato Growers Face Cost Structure Challenge, Some Growers to Exit
Even if many potato growers in the UK are not close to reaching an agreement, discussions on supply contracts for the 2023 potato harvest have already started. Faced with the need for more funding to grow the crop, some growers are deciding to leave the industry, while others are restructuring for a permanent reduction or taking a temporary break or short-term reduction.
Poland
The Best Early Edible Potato Varieties in 2022
The yield of early edible potato varieties in 2022, which totaled 458 dt/ha, was the lowest in the previous three years. The reference yield was 479 dt/ha in 2021, 490 dt/ha in 2020. Michalina, Gwiazda, and Lawenda are the three tubers with the highest yields overall. All three of them are of Polish breed. Only the Bellarosa and Vineta kinds are bred abroad.
Brazil
Potato Winter Season Ends With Good Results in BrazilThe 2022 winter potato crop was characterised by favourable prices but production issues especially in Vargem Grande do Sul (SP), the primary production hub for the table market at the time. The mostly hot and dry temperature in July, when the first regions of the season were harvested, favoured the incidence of pests in the crops, affecting productivity generally. Strong verticillium wilt pressure in Vargem Grande do Sul (SP) led to considerable production losses in the first month of harvest, and some farmers stated that their productivity levels were below 30MT/ha. The situation in the countryside mostly improved in August. However, the excess of tubers caused a significant drop in prices, reaching the lowest average of 2022.
South Africa
South African Potato Farmers Ending Year Under Immense Pressure
South African potato farmers were under a great deal of stress in 2022. It will take years before the business recovers and farms return to their prior levels of profitability, although industry participants are optimistic about the industry's future. The price farmers are receiving for their potatoes is much below market value, which is mostly to blame for this. The CEO of Potatoes South Africa stated that the pressure does not seem to be going away in the near future. The Russian-Ukrainian War continues to have a significant impact on the supply of important supplies, and the current political unrest that is affecting the exchange rate is not helping matters either.
Egypt
Approximately 642,000 acres across the Republic's governorates are currently free of the brown rot disease. The entire area of winter stalk cultivation that was achieved for export during the 2021/22 season was around 69,000 acres, while during the 2022/23 season it was approximately 65,000 acres. During the 2021/22 season, a total of 7,501 samples, or around 69,000 acres, of potatoes were reportedly assessed for the winter harvest at the age of 75 days.
Hungary
Hungarian Potatoes May Disappear in January as Stock Is Running Out
An agricultural analyst predicts that because supplies are limited, Hungarian potatoes will stop being sold in stores as early as January and that imports will only be available at significantly higher prices. When domestic supplies run out, resellers have little choice but to import them, but the import wholesale price is far higher, which will cause them significant losses.
Russia
Potato Exports From Egypt to Russia Grew by 25% In 2022
In 2022, Egypt's exports of potatoes to Russia increased by 25% and totaled 350,000MT. The Egyptian government intends to keep the dynamics of potato supply to the Russian market in 2023 at a level no lower than in 2022. In total, 875,000MT of potatoes were exported from Egypt in 2022. Additionally, Egypt reached the top spot for the first time in the past year, according to the department.
Harvest of Russian Potatoes in the Commodity Sector Exceeded 7MMT
Despite challenging weather during harvesting in some regions, including Oryol, Belgorod, Lipetsk, Tula, Moscow, Ryazan, and Samara, the Ministry of Agriculture reports that 7.2MMT of potatoes were harvested in the commodity sector in 2022, compared to 6.6MMT in 2021. Due to strong potato and vegetable prices in the first half of 2022, industrial enterprises were able to sustain good levels of profitability. A total of 30,000 hectares of the area planted in potatoes produced a decent crop.
Ukraine
At the end of 2022, some vegetables in Ukraine had record-high prices such as onions and carrots. The opposite was true for potatoes. The primary potato-producing areas were either not invaded by Russian aggressors or were liberated in time for the resumed field operations. In addition, the population has drastically increased the area planted in potatoes due to concerns about food access, which has resulted in an abundance of goods on the market. As a result, the average wholesale price of potatoes in Ukraine at the end of 2022 was 17% less expensive in dollars than it had been in 2021 but only 11% higher in hryvnia. As a result, the wholesale price at this level does not cover the cost of production.
Peru
Yellow Potato Costs up to USD 2.37/kg in the Retail Markets of Peru
An inspection of three retail marketplaces in metropolitan Lima revealed that the price of foods such potatoes increased by up to USD 0.53 per kg in the first week of 2023. In the markets of Cercado de Lima, Breýa and La Victoria yellow potatoes cost between USD 2.10-2.37/kg, while the last week of December was between USD 1.58-1.84/kg. Additionally, the yungay potato was found for up to USD 1.0/kg when before it cost USD 0.79, while the huayro potato is USD 1.84/kg and before it was priced between USD 1.58-1.71/kg.
Austria
The Wireworm Endangers Potato Cultivation in Austria
The potato growing season in 2022 was affected by heat and drought stress. Farmers had to accept lower yields and lots that had been harmed by wireworms, particularly in the Weinviertel areas that cannot be irrigated. The situation was a little bit better in the irrigation areas and the Waldviertel. Even yet, the qualities have been negatively impacted by the wireworm infestation. Between 2021 and 2022, Austria's potato-cultivated area decreased by almost 5%, totaling 21,441 ha.
Sweet Potato
United States
Local Sweet Potato Market in North Carolina During W1
The local sweet potato market in North Carolina has slowed down during the holidays but has remained steady in W1 2023. Production has remained constant, and quality has been good. According to local distributors, demand for potatoes will remain constant all year round. Pricing during W1 for processor grade 2” minimum cost USD 0.14/lb FOB, NC4-10oz USD 12, 10-14oz USD 15 (for retail), 14-18oz USD 15, and 18-28oz USD 10.
