2019 / 20 season
The 2019 export season for US sweet potatoes to Europe ends by early August. “Many growers are discontinuing shipments and focusing mainly on internal orders to ensure customer product quality,” explains Nick Bakelaar of Spot, a company specializing in the cultivation and supply of sweet potatoes from North Carolina, USA.
In his opinion, the season ended for sweet potato producers, on the whole, has developed well, and in many respects, this assessment was influenced by the state of affairs in the domestic market. “We saw a significant increase in sales versus exports. Usually export prices are better than domestic prices, but in the last three months it has been the opposite, ”says Nick Bakelaar.
Since August, Egypt has been taking over the supply of sweet potatoes to Europe. Some suppliers start exporting a little earlier (about 29 weeks), others a little later (about 34 weeks). The difference in terms is associated with the celebration of Eid al-Adha (from late July to August 10). Some growers want to get ahead of this holiday and start exporting, but there is usually enough US produce on the market at this point, and an early harvest from Egypt may be too early.
“At the height of summer, many European buyers prefer fruit over sweet potatoes. But the situation is gradually changing. By the end of August, supplies from Egypt may already be insufficient. As for other countries, Spain starts exporting from mid-August, small shipments come from Argentina, and Honduras and South Africa have already finished the season. ”
Harvest 2019
North America's 2019 sweet potato crop was much higher than 2018.
By December, the American sweet potato season for Spot was in full swing. “We have completed all Thanksgiving orders in recent weeks. Therefore, we were able to focus more on what is still available for export and the domestic market, ”says Nick Bakelaar.
“We know exactly how much and what quality products we need to sell. The harvest on our farm was quite large. Compared to last year, it will also enable much more production to be stored until the end of the season. This point of view is shared by most of our fellow manufacturers. "
The farmer comments on the export situation as follows: “The European sweet potato market is currently at a standstill. There are even larger supplies from Egypt and Spain. The United States also started in earnest. We were quite productive exporting from our farm. ”
“It was difficult to get sweet potatoes at good prices in the 2018 season,” continues Nick Bakelaar. - But by the beginning of winter 2019, the market is overloaded with potatoes. A lot of people have gone into this business, both in the US and in other countries. "
Harvest 2018
North Carolina's sweet potato crop has declined due to drought, and Hurricane Florence has also hit farmers badly. “As of late October, it can be assumed that at least about 30 percent of fields will be lost in North Carolina,” says Nick Bakelaar of Spot. “Many fields were flooded and farmers were forced to postpone harvest time. Some of them will export their produce, but many producers want to provide the local US market with sweet potatoes first. There is a lot of demand here because of Thanksgiving and Christmas. "
“After this period, farmers are expected to increase their supplies to Europe,” continues Nick. - We take care of sales in the European market, for example, in Germany, Scandinavia, France and Spain. But we are also looking more and more east. "
Nick also noticed an increase in the supply of sweet potatoes from other producing countries. “In the past, these were countries such as Egypt, Spain and Israel, but now you can see Morocco, Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands on the list of exporters. However, in most of these countries this business is still developing, farmers are only looking for the most suitable varieties. "
Spot also grows organic sweet potatoes. “The demand for organic products is growing because more and more consumers are aware of what they are eating,” concludes Nick.