Spain: Potato harvest in Murcia 27% up this year

The Council of Agriculture and Water of the Spanish Region of Murcia estimates this year’s potato production to reach 100,027 tonnes;an increase of 27% compared to the previous campaign, according to data provided by the Agricultural Associative and Statistical Services.

According to sources from the regional administration, early potatoes represent the largest percentage (62% of the production), followed by the mid-season variety (17%), the extra-early (11%) and the late (10%).

In 2012, Spain’s potato production was of 2,203,000 tonnes and the Regions with the largest volumes were Castile-Leon (37%), Galicia (21%) and Andalusia (15%), while the Region of Murcia ranked sixth, with 3% of the country’s total.

Furthermore, the Region’s potato exports in 2012 reached a value of 4.9 million Euro, which represented 6% of Spain’s total, and over the past four years the value of Murcian potato exports has increased by 108%, while the overall export of Spanish potatoes increased by just 1.6%.

During this period, according to the same sources, the price of a kilo of exported Murcian potatoes grew by 112%, with 99.5% of them being shipped to the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and France.