The Potato Council’s first estimate of total potato plantings (1) for the 2013 crop year in Great Britain is 121,200 hectares. This is similar to 2012, down only 0.5% on the final planting figure from that crop year, of 121,800 ha. This initial estimate is provisional, being based only on a sample (2) covering 60% of producers by area. As with all estimates based on a sample, results should be treated with caution as, despite every effort to make the sample as representative as possible, there is a possibility that the planting decisions made by those not included in the sample may differ from those who are included.
Figure 1 shows a time series of GB plantings while Table 1 sets out the data underlying Figure 1. The primary source of the area information is Potato Council Planting Returns.
This includes all growers with plantings in excess of 3 ha. To this is added an allowance for unregistered areas. For 2013, unregistered area is estimated to be 5.5%, based on the 5-year average from 2008-2012. Please note that the nature of unregistered potato area makes it difficult to estimate, to a high level of accuracy, its magnitude.
Potato Plantings in Great Britain 2004 – 2013(1) Total potato plantings includes actual planted area, and excludes headlands and other parts of the field not planted with potatoes. When comparing Potato Council statistics with those published by DEFRA, note that the latter are based on field areas.
(2) The sample comprises Planting Returns processed prior to 12 June 2012 from 1,632 registered producers, including finalised online entries.
As the estimated area is similar to 2012 the final yield figure will be a very large driver of how 2013 production measures up to the 2012 level. The production estimate may change significantly over the course of the year as more information on planted area and yields is received.
The Potato Council’s estimate of planted areas for 2013 will be updated at the end of July and provided as a breakdown by varieties at the end of August. A production estimate based on actual 2013 yields will be published in mid-November.
