PRICES AT EUROPEAN LEVEL
The abnormal heat that prevailed this year in most European countries from Spain to Sweden, as a year earlier, negatively affected the volume of potatoes grown in this territory.
A noticeable decrease in fees and a significant increase in prices - both in the wholesale and retail markets, - noted agricultural producers in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
A difficult situation is developing in Spain. According to the head of the Alianza Agroalimentaria Aragonesa (UAGA) union Togno Rome, weather conditions led to a decrease in yield by about 20%, which, with a general decrease in product quality, caused a sharp jump in prices. In late June, the cost of a ton of potatoes in the Spanish Murcia and Andalusia increased from 180-200 euros to 400 euros. Only in August, with the appearance of potatoes from Castile-Leone on the market, prices fell to 300 euros.
The most significant losses are incurred by potato processing enterprises.
Julian Rubira, CEO of the Doruel Chips Factory (Teruel Province, Spain), states: “We buy potatoes at a price that is twice the normal level. Now a kilo of potatoes costs 0,58 euros, although we usually paid 0,3 euros».
In addition to drought, the decline in potato cultivation is also affecting the state of affairs. Until recently, in Spain, the culture occupied about 200 thousand hectares, now - no more than 70 thousand hectares. Many agricultural producers cite market instability and high sector volatility as reasons for leaving business.
“A few years ago, lots of potatoes were sold at 80 euros per ton, with a production cost of 120 euros", - comments Julian Rubira.
Today, market participants note that the average cost of potatoes for the end customer has grown to 1 euro per kg, while previously it did not exceed 0,34 euro per kg.
Based on FruitNews
POTATO CRISIS IN UKRAINE
The 2019 season has become difficult for Ukrainian potato growers. In the spring, a number of regions faced the problem of high humidity, in summer some regions were hit by drought, others were flooded with rain. According to preliminary forecasts, agricultural producers will miss about 30% of the planned harvest - and this is provided if the harvest takes place in favorable conditions.
Considering that today in the country about 24-28 thousand hectares are allocated for potatoes, and a few years ago the cultivation area was 70 thousand hectares, the shortage will be very noticeable. More precisely, it is noticeable now.
Since the end of June, an increased demand for the product and a constant rise in prices for it have been recorded in the country. According to analysts of the EastFruit project, by mid-August, the main sales of potatoes were in the range of 8-12 UAH / kg (0,32- 0,47 $ / kg), which is on average 20% more expensive than a week earlier, and 2,5, 2018 times higher than mid-August XNUMX.
At the moment, focusing on high sales, experts predict a further upward movement of the price curve. However, it is possible that market tensions will help ease the recently begun supply of potatoes from Belarus.
«Imported products are currently on sale at a price of 8 UAH / kg, however, their quality does not always suit Ukrainian buyers", - experts say.
Based on materials from Kp.ua and East-fruit.com
ALL-RUSSIAN DAY OF POTATO FIELD HAS PASSED IN VLADIKAVAZAZ
At the All-Russian Potato Field Day 2019, held on August 15-16 in Vladikavkaz, more than a thousand experts took part: leading Russian and foreign experts, representatives of federal and regional agro-industrial complex management bodies, industry departments, research institutions and seed-breeding companies.
The participants were presented with the most promising varieties and hybrids of potatoes and technologies for their cultivation in high mountains, advanced methods of obtaining and clonal propagation in vitro material, developments for obtaining mini- and microtubers, storage, sorting and packaging of seed lots of potatoes.
During the plenary meeting the topics of the development of science and production in the direction of potato growing, technologies in seed farming “from test tubes to the elite”, the realization of the export potential and, of course, successes in the development of potato growing in the region, the organizer of this meeting, were raised.
Today, North Ossetia-Alania has already fully covered its own need for potatoes. On average, 8 thousand hectares of land are allocated for this culture in the Republic annually.
In 2019, the Republic plans to get at least 78-79 thousand tons of potatoes, but they are going to achieve the planned indicators not by expanding the area, but by using high-quality seed.
Based on the materials of the FSBI "State Commission"
DOUBLE POTATO HOLIDAY PASS IN THE BRYANSK REGION
International Day of the Potato Field Potato Days Russia and the All-Russian Day of the Potato Field will be held in the Bryansk region, on the basis of the agricultural enterprise "Druzhba-2" on July 30-31, 2020. The events will be held under the direct patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation.
Potato Days Russia will allow you to demonstrate all stages of the production process in potato growing, starting with the selection of potato varieties, equipment and technologies for planting, growing and harvesting to the primary completion, storage, transportation of potatoes to processing plants.
According to the materials of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation