Potato processors will contract approximately 20 percent fewer potatoes for the 2021 harvest than this year. The contract price falls by approximately 10 percent. Remo-Frit, the Belgian market leader in freshly peeled potato products, announced this. Belgapom expects this to be the general trend for the entire European potato sector.
Remo-Frit, the Belgian market leader in freshly peeled potato products, announces that it will contract at least 20 percent fewer potatoes for the 2021 harvest than this year. And this at contract prices that will be at least 10 percent lower. A survey conducted by Belgapom among its potato processing companies shows that these companies plan between 5 and 40 percent fewer potato contracts. On average, this amounts to between 10 and 20 percent fewer potatoes than was contracted for the 2020 harvest.
Clarity
By already giving an indication of the scope of the contracts and the contract price, the potato processor wants to create clarity. According to Remo-Frit buyer Yvo Deputter, 2021 will not be a normal year either. Deputter says to Landbouwleven that his company is also focusing on late varieties in the new contracts. “Our warehouses are still full. We therefore do not need early potatoes for our (fresh) activities. “
Europe
Romain Cools, the CEO of Belgapom endorses Deputter’s expectations. “The entire European potato sector expects a drop in contracts and contract prices. This can differ between the early potatoes, from the field and from the long storage. ” As in the past, the contract prices will also be derived from the free market prices of the current season in the coming year. Cools to Landbouwleven: “This has a different impact for many growers. Aspects such as own land, lease and seasonal lease play an important role in this. ”
The Netherlands
The situation in the Netherlands will probably be no different from that in Belgium. This will only become clear at the beginning of next year, when the Dutch processors present their fixed price contracts.
