Kartoffeln Cockpit, 13.10.2018

Because of the many glassy potatoes in Belgium, a distinction is made between a gross amount and potatoes that can be used for processing. The usable yields at Bintje and Fontane in Wallonia are at least 30% smaller than the average of the last five years. 70% of the sample lots have floats. The harvest is 70% complete, but currently it comes to a standstill because it is too dry again. The income recorded in the Netherlands is 20% weaker than in the previous year. As 2017 was a particularly high-yield year, the gap to the 5-year average is more meaningful. This is missed by the VTA members "only" by 12.5%. Compared to the previous year but missing after all 800,000 tons. The relatively small parts reach only 61% of the usual frits of 50 mm. Here it was 69% in the 5-year average. However, in the recent past there has also been a year when even fewer oversizes were harvested at 57%. That was in 2016. However, since the demand for fry raw material has continued to grow since then, this year is quite comparable in Holland.However, this season should still benefit from large product inventories from the last season, which eases the supply situation somewhat. By comparison, France's potato harvest is doing relatively well. Because the acreage has been expanded there, this year's harvest is surprisingly good at almost average yields of 6.1 million tonnes. The cultivation association UNPT reports that the export of table potatoes now starts. Buyers are customers in Spain and Portugal and Italy. At present, nothing is going to Eastern Europe. The prices are high, as long as the lots are deposited and have an immaculate shell. Warehouse-critical games are currently causing supply and price pressure in Germany. Cargoes with low sub-water weight and a few oversize and glassy tubers are only accepted by the factories with price concessions. The effort to be able to produce a good product from this, the processors can be paid by the farmers. A similar situation is found in Belgium, where the Association of Potato Makers Belgapom today left the prices for problematic Bintje at € 20 / dt.In view of the generally scarce market supply, this does not bother the prices for decent potato batches. Industrieware 35mm + at 27 to 29 € / dt is paid for on the German Lower Rhine, just like in the previous week. For Holland, FIWAP / PCA reports prices from € 20 to € 25 / dt at Bintje and has therefore adjusted to the rates in Belgium. Other varieties cost as in the previous week 25 to 27 € / dt. Since the potato market is currently well supplied and thus comes in calmer waters, the prices on the futures exchange are approaching the current cash market. At a high level, the April 19 deadline is around the 30-euro mark. The daily turnover in the past week was only double-digit and the contract book is relatively low with a good 6,000 lots. This is certainly justified by the fact that there are extremely few free potatoes this season. Some of them are already secured at the futures exchange, and in some cases the stockkeepers are waiting to see how the potatoes will last in the winter storage. The courses for the April 19 date have - unlike in previous years - even little imagination for even higher prices.One can probably assume that the quality problem will be solved quickly with the help of the fry factories. Where there are raw material losses, a buyer is quickly there, the worse prevents and processes the problem lots. One can therefore assume that everything that is possible as consumer potatoes, is also processed. Thus, during the summer months, large quantities of the food market landed in the fryers of the factories, and even dual-use varieties from the starch sector found this way. In addition, the processors are again bringing raw material from Poland to Holland, similar to 2016/17. The high prices for seed potatoes also indicate that everything is set to start the next season too early as possible.