As the Potato News Today, citing CroatiaWeek, in the first three months of 2020, Croatia imported 16 tons of potatoes for € 064 million.
At the same time, according to the consulting company Smarter, for the whole of 2019, the country purchased 30 tons of potatoes for a total of € 462 million.
In the first three months of 2020, Croatia imported, in particular, seed potatoes - 8 310 tons worth € 5,33 million, which is more than for the whole of 2019, when 8 171 tons of seed potatoes worth € 6,08 million were imported .
“The continued growth in imports of all types of potatoes shows that since the beginning of the year, the market surplus in the EU partially affected our market. An increase in demand for seed potatoes, which Croatia does not have enough, may be an indication that agricultural producers, fearing supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus crisis, resorted to imports, and more potatoes will be planted this year in the end. ” - explained a consultant specializing in agriculture and food industry.
Smarter Consultancy notes that accurate data on what area the potatoes were planted in 2020 have not yet been published. The maximum potato planting area in recent years in Croatia was 10 310 ha (2014), last year potatoes were planted on an area of 9 387 ha.
Last year's crop amounted to 173 tons, which is enough to provide about 149-80% of local demand.
Smarter Consultancy believes that it is necessary to consolidate agricultural land intended for growing potatoes in Croatia, and at the same time increase the yield per hectare - and, in addition, give the potato a special crop status in order to create opportunities for applying for EU funding for the purchase of new machines, the construction of modern storage facilities and so on.
Analysts are also sure that Croatian agricultural enterprises need to focus on the introduction of modern technologies for the production and processing of potatoes, the development of market infrastructure and the intensification of marketing activities.