Kartoffeln Cockpit, 19.01.2019

For top-quality hard-to-cook desserts, French suppliers can earn up to € 42 / dt. In the absence of other providers, these prices are also paid. Plant potatoes are also very limited in France. Since the water reserves for the 2019 campaign are not yet replenished, the willingness is there for high prices to create, but still behave. Meanwhile, the factories are trying to get the farmers back for pre-contracts at fixed prices. The poor experience that farmers are having this year suggests that the willingness to sign such contracts is low. The 2 to 3 € / dt, which now offers more than in the last year, hardly compensate for the additional costs for the more expensive seedlings. Annoying also that the seed is usually only in combination with the conclusion of new supply contracts to get. In Belgium, where traditionally there is a larger free potato market, factories are the loudest in the complaint about too small a supply of raw material for processing. That's why potato prices are now higher than in Germany.The Belgapom quotation for Bintje is today at 27.5 € / dt, Fontane and Challenger currently cost 30 to 32 € / dt. With such high demands from the domestic industry hardly any potatoes go abroad. Potato exports from Belgium are described as laborious. Holland's buyers of fry factories complain that after the holiday break, less free potatoes are offered, and you even have to prefer contract potatoes to keep the plants running. Belgian fry factories are also trying to withdraw potatoes from Holland, driving up prices even further. This is also reflected in the EEX Potato Index, which rose another 60 cents on Thursday and has now been calculated at € 30.40 / dt. The biggest increase in prices was reported by the Belgians. There, prices for processed potatoes rose by € 1.13 / dt in the last week. Although the Belgian listing is calculated mainly from Bintje price reports, reported the Dutch stock exchange in Leipzig only 16 cents higher spot prices. In the middle to the end of November the potatoes in Holland cost at least 5.68 € / dt more than in Belgium. This was due to the many Bintje that were not suitable for long-term storage in Belgium.This problem is solved for the time being. On the derivatives exchange, the April 19 courses rose this week for the first time this season to 33 € / dt. At this high level, the courses can also hold as far as possible. Occasionally higher prices are traded on the June-19 futures contract. The contract stock for this, however, is so far only just over 100 lots. More sales are recorded in the April-20 event. There are now 500 lots built and with 16.6 € / dt compared to previous years in January-relatively expensive. However, the prices only reflect the new quotations from the processors, who also keep slightly higher prices for contract deliveries. However, it can be heard that the farmers with their signature under such contracts withhold as well as with the price hedging on the futures exchange. Although the demand for potatoes returned relatively quickly after the Christmas holidays, it is reported that factories are no longer prepared to pay any price. The PotatoCall reports that British factories are currently staying away from the market again. With that, you want to take the wind out of the sails, which is currently driving prices higher and higher.Meanwhile, some factories are once again looking at potato production in the Bordeaux area. On the French Atlantic coast, a lot of vegetables are cultivated for the whole of Europe, because it rarely freezes there in winter. The added value is correspondingly high there. The cultivation of potatoes is rarely worth it, but this seems to be the case again this season.