In Western and Central Europe, there is now an increasing demand for good baking potato portions. Potatoes from the spot market are being looked for immediately by contract farmers whose own old harvest no longer meets the promised quality standards. Purchasers of the factories are looking for parts for the months May and later in addition to their preliminary contracts. In the meantime, table potatoes are almost sold out in some EU countries and they will be importing more storage potatoes in April and May. These include Austria, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Poland. There are still large quantities of potatoes from the old crop, which hardly meet the quality requirements of the supermarkets. France is now the main beneficiary, with exporters now taking advantage of the situation to sell off their high inventories.
Since the early potato plantations were generally delayed by 2 to 3 weeks in March, experts are already expecting that there will be a short supply during the summer harvest.
Text: HANSA Derivatives Trading GmbH
