With the exception of the southwest, the start of the potato growing season is late. But the soil structure is fine, unlike last year.
On the South Holland islands, three quarters of the potato acreage is in the ground, CZAV sales manager Emiel Noordermeer estimates. “The conditions were so good before Easter that a lot of work had already been done by then.” This is also evident from the seeding figures published by Cosun Beet Company. Just before Easter, beet sowing was almost completed in the southwest of the Netherlands.
Plenty of time to plant
Traditionally, there is a two to three week difference between the Southwest and the Northern Clay at the start of the growing season. This is also the case now. In the Kop van Noord-Holland, Groningen and Friesland, spring work is only really starting now.
Potato planting is now in full swing in the province of Flevoland. “The season is running late,” says Jan van Hoogen, General Manager of Agrico. “But the structure of the soil is fine. And given the weather forecast, there is plenty of time to plant under good conditions. ”
Lack of heat
All it lacks is warmth. It is almost certain that the month of April will be historically cold, although an April month with an average 24-hour temperature of less than 7⁰ C in the last century was not at all exceptional. It has never happened before this century.
“The potatoes have been or will be planted, but the germination will be delayed in view of the weather forecast,” thinks production manager Jan Pieter Rijpma of trading house HZPC. “No reason to worry about it. Potato tubers have a reserve.”
Long term: today temperatures around average, but from tomorrow we just dive into the cold air again. At the weekend and early next week it could just come to night frost in the interior.
Decrease acreage
The trading houses are also not concerned about the sale of seed potatoes this year, despite the corona crisis, which has resulted in a considerably lower payout price, after a number of excellent years. There has been a shift from chips potatoes to other sales destinations. But on balance that will at most lead to a small volume decrease, says Jan Pieter Rijpma of HZPC.
Agrico General Director Jan van Hoogen: “I don’t believe any of the stories that the potato acreage is shrinking by 10-15% this year. The decrease as a result of the corona crisis is much smaller. ”
