The heat waves that have been observed in Spain during this summer have significantly affected potato production. A decrease in potato harvest is expected, the portal reports. www.campogalego.es.
“This is a very difficult year due to high temperatures, as well as little water for irrigation, and crop declines are expected,” said Amador Diaz Penin, farmer and president of the regional Potato Growers Association.
Estimates from the Ourense Institute for Economic Development, which is also involved in potato production in the Lima Basin, confirm the drop in yields.
“Each week when the temperature was above 35 degrees, it caused damage in the amount of about 10 kg of produce per hectare,” estimated Servando Alvarez, director of the Inorde Agricultural Development Center.
“When a potato plant is exposed to temperatures over 30 degrees, the vegetative cycle slows down and does not resume until the temperature drops. Thus, in the heat of almost 20 days in a row at such temperatures, the plants only retained tops, but did not grow tubers,” explains Alvarez.
In recent years, potato growers have switched from the Kennebec variety to the Agria variety, used primarily for french fries. In the heat and drought conditions, the Dutch-bred Agria has suffered much more than the Kennebeck, and it is likely that Agria yields will be below 35 kg per hectare instead of the expected 000, Alvarez estimated.
Meanwhile, according to Kennebeck, although the variety is grown in smaller areas, yields remain normal and are similar to those of other years.
In addition to high temperatures, the current potato campaign in Spain is marked by an increase in production costs. Thus, fertilizers, which cost about 30 cents per kilogram last season, have reached 1 euro this year.
“In this campaign, production costs increased by about 40%, both for inputs and for fertilizer or fuel,” said Amador Diaz, a potato grower.
Now, ahead of the harvest and marketing campaign, growers hope that adequate prices will be achieved. "Let's see if the prices will pay off the investment," says Diaz. He recalled that every euro cent added to the sale of potatoes is very important, since these minimum fluctuations determine whether the crop will be economically sustainable.
Farmers in the Lima region are waiting for a promised improvement in the irrigation system, which will add 4000 hectares for agricultural production and diversify crop rotation.