Italian and Cypriot imports continued to dominate the market for table potatoes. Meanwhile, domestic offerings continued to gain in importance.
Shipments from Greece, Israel and Spain supplemented the picture. In general, the quality was convincing. In some cases, the supply was ample to meet demand. Traders therefore sometimes had to reduce their demands if they wanted to avoid stockouts. In the case of ware potatoes, domestic batches still predominated, but their quality increasingly left something to be desired. Prices often remained at their previous level with a quiet turnover, according to the BLE’s latest report.
Rhineland-Palatinate: producer prices slightly up Y-o-Y
German table potatoes from the previous year’s harvest are now only available in retail in exceptional cases, according to the Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Agriculture. The first quantities of ripened early potatoes from the Palatinate are entering the assortments at prices of 1.00 to 1.20 €/kg. At the start of the season, producer prices for loose goods are slightly above last year’s level at 54 €/dt for long varieties and 52 €/dt for round varieties.
Hesse: New-harvest early potatoes increasingly marketed
In food retail, the remaining stocks from the 2020 harvest are expected to run out by the end of the week. However, there is still interest in large-crop goods, particularly in the food service sector. Newly harvested early potatoes from the local growing regions are increasingly being marketed. Prices for loose goods are quoted between 52-54 EUR/dt.
Due to the loose skin, the distances from the grower to the consumer should be as short as possible. So far, dry weather has hampered grubbing operations. Favored by the weather pattern, Colorado potato beetle populations have exploded on some sites. The current drop in temperature and rain will hopefully facilitate further harvesting work. The high outside temperatures of the last few days are also slowing down the demand for potatoes, the State Office for Agriculture in Hesse reports.
Schleswig-Holstein: Heat reduces consumer demand
According to the latest report from the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Agriculture, the last stock of good quality continues to find buyers, as the price gap to the new harvest is quite high. In the previous week, the heat reduced consumer demand. However, the weather has provided good harvesting conditions for early potatoes, even though work had to be stopped over the weekend due to rain. In food retail, early potatoes from the Mediterranean region dominate. The first deliveries of marketable goods from the southern German states supplement the range. In this country, first harvest quantities are mostly sold only in direct sales.
Restaurants and hotels are also supplied directly from the field. Only what can be sold in the short term is harvested. The cold spring has impaired growing conditions. Yields are only below average. However, higher temperatures and rainfall in the previous week have improved conditions. For the time being, however, vegetation remains behind. Harvest of the first shell-firm early crop from the field should begin by the end of the month. The supra-regional prices for early potatoes have already weakened, as imported goods are also continuously being offered at lower prices.
