Potato producers expect harvest decline of 30 percent
Published: Saturday, Nov 4th 2023, 14:01
Updated At: Sunday, Nov 5th 2023, 00:54
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The potato harvest is likely to be very poor this year. Producers are expecting a decline of around a third compared to previous years. Nevertheless, prices are unlikely to rise sharply.
The yields are still difficult to estimate at the moment. Ruedi Fischer, President of the Association of Swiss Potato Producers (VSKP), told the Keystone-SDA news agency that the definitive figures would not be available until the beginning of December. He was confirming a report by the Swiss Agricultural Information Service (LID).
But it is foreseeable that there will be "above-average shortfalls", "the likes of which we have never seen before", said Fischer. As things stand today, it is estimated that there could be a shortfall of 100,000 tons, especially for processed products such as French fries. The situation looks a little better for table potatoes.
Wet spring, hot summer
The weather in spring and summer was primarily responsible for the decline in harvests. The soil was far too wet when the potatoes were sown at the end of April and beginning of May. As a result, the potatoes were unable to put down deep roots and were then not sufficiently well equipped for the heat and drought in the summer.
But even otherwise, potatoes no longer grow above 28 to 30 degrees. Those with irrigation systems have been able to alleviate the situation. However, only half of the area under cultivation in Switzerland is irrigated, said Fischer.
Pests plague the harvest
Then there was the pest infestation: due to the mild winters in recent years, the pests did not die but were able to overwinter in large numbers. This then proved fatal for the potatoes in summer. This is because the hot and dry weather favors their proliferation.
In this context, Fischer complains about the restrictions imposed by the federal government on crop protection. For example, there are fewer and fewer plant protection products available to producers, despite increasing resistance to herbicides. In the case of insecticides, for example, there is currently no approved product to combat wireworm.
Hardly any impact for consumers
Nevertheless, consumers need not fear that there will be a shortage of potatoes in the coming months. Stocks are analyzed every month and shortages are imported.
Because the situation is similar abroad, purchase prices have already doubled in some cases, albeit at a low level. According to Fischer, little or nothing is likely to change for consumers. The competitive situation in the retail trade is too great for that.
©Keystone/SDA
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