The Belgian potato industry suffered significant losses in 2020. Due to the corona crisis, the industry was left with large quantities of potatoes because exports fell and restaurants were closed. The famous Belgian chip shops, which depend on tourists in major cities, were badly hit.
Instead of the planned 5.6 million tons of potatoes, less than 5.1 million tons were processed last year. So says Romain Cools, until recently chairman of the trade association Belgapom. Exports fell by about 10 percent. The cold stores of farmers remained filled to the brim.
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According to Cools, the crisis for potato farmers could have turned out worse. The chairman of the trade association made a remarkable appeal in April 2020. He called on Belgians to eat fries twice a week, instead of once. “The appeal and subsequent media attention have certainly had a positive effect on the sales figures,” says Cools.
Chip potato shops
Still, chip shop sales fell by between 20 and 80 percent. In addition to other measures, there were compensation payments for stalls that could demonstrate a sales decline of at least 40 percent.
