Retail sales and home consumption have slowed with the prolonged hot weather affecting consumption. Crops are coming under pressure due to heat stress and growers are irrigating where possible. Quality issues in store continue to cause challenges. Queens and salad potatoes continue to come onto the market. There is excellent demand for new season salads.
The NEPG group of four major producing countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium) puts the combined area down by around 11%. The area in France down 9.1%, the area in Belgium down 16.6% and the area in the Netherlands 15.1%. Recent German estimates put their crop reduced by 7.1% but it may be reduced further.
World Potato Markets estimates that the area in the 27 EU countries will be down by 10%. This would be the lowest since 2023 and the second lowest on record.
