W41: Potato Update

In W41 in the potato landscape, France's potato harvest for 2023 is estimated at nearly 6.9 million tons, surpassing earlier expectations. Recent data indicates slightly higher yields than the previous month, as the Agreste Statistical Service of the French Ministry of Agriculture reported. The 2023 potato harvest shows a 13.3% year-over-year (YoY) increase, with a 3.4% expansion in cultivated areas and yields nearly 10% YoY higher. Both area and yield figures also surpass the five-year average, resulting in a record harvest almost 8% higher than the past five years' average.

Meanwhile, Poland's potato harvest for 2023 faces challenges due to insufficient rainfall in May-23, Jun-23, and Jul-23, resulting in an underutilized yield potential. While the condition of potato plantations varies by region, overall tuber quality is expected to be average. Approximately 200 thousand hectares (ha) are dedicated to potato cultivation this year, with an anticipated yield of 294 dt/ha, marking a 4% YoY decrease. The total potato harvest is estimated at around 5.5 million tons, reflecting a 9% YoY reduction.

In Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region, potato production in 2023 reached 2 million tons with a record-high yield of 32 tons/ha. This marks the highest yield in Ukraine, and when assessing the region's self-sufficiency in potatoes, it surpasses 600%.

Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) estimate predicts a total potato yield of 10.9 million tons, exceeding the multi-year average by over 2%. However, regional disparities in cultivation area and yield per ha are apparent. While some states, such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Baden-Württemberg, expanded their cultivation areas, others reduced theirs. Yield variations result from climate, planting times, weather, irrigation, and potato types. For instance, Lower Saxony expects a reduced harvest of 5.11 million tons, while Bavaria envisions a larger crop despite a smaller cultivation area.

On the other hand, Morocco saw a declining trend in fresh potato exports over several years, with the 2022/23 season marking a low point. Only 27.9 thousand tons of potatoes were exported to foreign markets, generating minimal revenue of USD 5.7 million, the lowest in five years. While the range of countries receiving Moroccan potatoes has expanded from 24 to 44, the primary destinations are African nations, despite Europe being a significant potato importer. Notably, Moroccan potato exports to the European Union (EU) peaked in 2018/19 due to a European drought, but these shipments have since declined considerably.

Lastly, Russia's agricultural oversight agency has imposed a three-year ban on potato planting in Tver and Yaroslavl due to disease outbreaks caused by potato spindle tuber viroid and Ralstonia solanacearum bacteria. The ban aims to combat these diseases, which are under quarantine regulations. The closure has led to increased use of Belarusian potato seeds in Russia.