Potatoes

Last season, Castilla y León retained its position as the leading potato producer in Spain, with over 17,000 hectares planted out of nearly 70,000 hectares nationwide. Despite a 1.9% decrease in total potato acreage in Spain, Castilla y León experienced a 2% increase. Out of Spain's nearly two million tons of potatoes produced, Castilla y León contributed significantly to the overall output. read more

Wellhill Farm, situated on Scotland's Moray Coast, has been run by the Taylor family since 1926. Currently in its fourth generation, the farm is overseen by brothers Owen and Duncan Taylor, along with their mother Ilene. The farm cultivates sixteen types of seed potatoes for both domestic and international markets. read more

The project aims to meet the need for crops that can maintain stable yields even under environmental stress conditions, with a focus on creating superior potato genotypes that are more resilient. In the future, this research could potentially expand to other crops. "Developing potato varieties that are resistant to drought could decrease crop variability and improve overall." read more

A wide variety of early potatoes were on offer. Along with supplies from Italy and Cyprus, there was also a small amount of Moroccan imports available. According to the BLE, sales remained stable, but there was a level of customer saturation noticed after the Easter holidays. Prices did not fluctuate... read more

Calls from overseas are coming in for North Carolina sweet potatoes. Kristi Hocutt of Triple J Produce mentioned that she is receiving inquiries from Europe for supply. "This indicates that Egypt and Spain are currently out of supply," she stated. "Honduras may have not started yet either." On the domestic front, demand remains steady. read more

Woolworths New Zealand reported a 4.8% increase in third-quarter sales, reaching almost $2.12 billion. Despite this growth, the grocery chain noted a 0.3% decrease in prices, primarily driven by lower prices of fruits and vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, and citrus. This decrease was partially offset by price increases in meat. read more

Maria Flynn, an Irish heritage potato grower, took the first steps to expand her business, Ballymakenny Heritage Potatoes, last year. The business, which started as a hobby, was initially focused on selling to Irish customers. However, Maria has now found a way to export her products to the UK market through a partnership. read more

In the state of Thuringia, preparations are also underway for the final stretch of this year's potato season. "I would describe the 2024 harvest as average," says Theresa Wasserek, managing director of KARLAND Agrarprodukte GmbH & Co. KG. "The regional potatoes were consistently stable and have" read more

During the periodic surveys conducted in the retail points by IFN, we have found that some horticultural categories have quite uniform assortments among different stores, especially when it comes to similar formats and sizes, as in the case of potatoes. However, they are not uniform. read more

The Expana Benchmark Price (EBP) for Dutch processing potatoes is currently €180 per metric ton (MT), representing a month-on-month (m-o-m) decline of 28% and a year-on-year (y-o-y) decrease of 51.4%. Belgian Fontane potatoes are priced at €130/MT, with a m-o-m drop of 25.7% and a y-o-y fall of 62.8%. read more

The California colored potato crop appears to be starting on schedule this season. John Clerou of Mazzei Franconi Co. LLC stated, "We typically aim to begin in the first week of May, and this year we will commence on May 5th in Kern County." In terms of acreage, it remains similar. read more

The potato planting at Caledonia Potatoes in Perthshire, Scotland is progressing well. "We are about halfway through, which is later than some. In the last couple of weeks, conditions were sub-optimal, but we are now back on track," said Robert Doig from the company. "We are ahead of where we normally read more