Harvest was ground to a halt in many areas in Ireland over the last week with very wet weather conditions, the outlook for the next week looks unsettled also, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) says in its weekly potato market report. There are reports of some quality issues with current conditions.
Due to storage costs, harvest was already delayed in regions, current conditions will drive this out further. Home consumption and retail demand has picked up with demand for the processing sector also seeing a boost with the bank holiday weekend and mid-term break. The price of peeling material remains in the region of €230- €270.
Across Europe, IFA reports that those with quality samples are confident and continue to try to force prices higher. There is an anticipation that values will improve in the fresh sector. Exporters looking for sales for Spain and Eastern Europe are reported to be “hovering”, but prices are currently too high. Over the last week, movement from France has been brought to a halt because of the fuel strike.
World Potato Markets reports that prices in Poland continue to rise and may reach a record for the month of October. The increased numbers of refugees from Ukraine are creating additional demand but there is also strong interest for Polish potatoes from importers in Hungary and Romania.
A source: https://www.potatonewstoday.com
