Kartoffeln News, 07/21/2023

Overall, the early food market is balanced. However, there are different regional situations. In North Rhine-Westphalia in particular, there is currently a lack of potatoes to cover the sales of the food retail trade. Packers are therefore increasingly buying up potatoes in Rhineland-Palatinate and Lower Saxony. In southern Germany in particular, most new potatoes have already been cleared. The marketing quantities do not quite correspond to the objectives of the producer groups and farmers, the first yields were too low for that. In Lower Saxony there are reports of a significant increase in demand, imported potatoes are hardly available to food retailers and many chains are gradually converting. Good national demand is also reported here. The prices paid tend to fall slightly, but remain at a very high level. The prospects for the main harvest are very different. There has recently been good rainfall in the Rhineland, and there have also been milder temperatures and rainfall in western Lower Saxony. Overall, however, the market continues to be concerned about the coming season. The news on the processing market is limited.Everywhere the remaining quantities are described as cleared, in Belgium the last transactions were reported at 57.50-60 euros/dt in the last week. The factories in Belgium are currently processing free dual-use varieties whenever possible and are increasingly resorting to imported quantities from Spain and Egypt. The factories here also obtain raw materials from Israel. Early varieties, which are now being harvested slowly, fetch prices of around 60 euros/dt. But the offer is still small. The drought has left its mark here and because of the high prices, buyers are often reluctant. A few lots have recently been traded on the EEX again. Today, the contracts have increased in trading so far to 30.90 euros/dt for April 2024.