Potatoes News, 2nd / Apr / 2024

The demand for free lots of processing potatoes has declined somewhat. Factories continue to try to mobilize contract goods earlier. This is also necessary because farmers with good lots in storage are currently not particularly interested in making deals. The market therefore remains in equilibrium overall. There is certainly speculation on the market about availability during the transition to the season. In many places, plantings are not yet getting off to a good start because the soil is too wet. This applies to both northern and western Germany, but also partly to the south. Slow plantings are also reported in Belgium and the Netherlands. Last Thursday, Reka in the Rhineland left its prices unchanged. For Fontane and Challenger, 36 euros/dt are quoted, for Agria it is 37 euros and Innovator achieves up to 39 euros per 100 kilograms. On the EEX, the bid and ask prices have moved further apart. The April contract will expire shortly, so interest is likely to be limited in the following days. At the food market , traders and market participants are satisfied with the Easter business. There are even reports of very good business, particularly in East Germany. Significantly quiet business activity is expected this week. The announced demand can be well served. Lower inventories are reported in Lower Saxony, but there is currently no expectation of a bottleneck here either. New potatoes from imports are somewhat more present in southern Germany, but are not yet fully represented on the shelves in Germany as a whole. The asparagus business is likely to start a little later, but traders are already preparing for the business.