“Slow growth of new potatoes can cause fireworks at the beginning of July”

Tholen – The growth of the new potatoes does not want to get along yet. 

“Growth is lagging behind the five-year average. When it is dry you can irrigate, but when it is cold, in combination with a north wind, as a grower you can do very little. Unfortunately we cannot control the weather ”, says Rik Tanghe of RTL Patat. “We will probably only be able to harvest the new potatoes in July, fortunately there is still sufficient stock of potato from last season, but it can be exciting at the beginning of July if there will be enough potatoes available.”

“At the moment there is not much interest from the processing industry to buy extra, so the potato prices are still below the contract prices. Even now we can say: the weather is a merchant. It could well be fireworks in early July, when stocks are getting smaller and new ones aren’t there yet. But I don’t think there will be any spectacular price hike this month or June. Nevertheless, nature can also recover considerably, but of course we cannot say that in advance. We do know that it will probably remain quite cold until the end of May ”, says Rik.

The cold temperatures also have a major influence on the storage of the potatoes. “Since last year, CIPC may no longer be used for storing potato. However, the colder temperatures ensure that the quality of the potatoes in the storage sheds remains good and that the potatoes come out of storage well. That is still a ray of hope at the end of a difficult season ”, Rik concludes.

For more information:
Rik Tanghe
RTL Patat     
www.rtlpatat.be 

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