Potato Sales Strong as Poor Weather Persists

Sales of potatoes remain very strong across all market sectors with sales figures more similar to mid-winter than mid spring.

At this stage, farmers with material in cold store should be pushing for price rises. Any excess stock which was around earlier in the year has either still to be dug or has been removed from the market.

Due to the later planting season it looks increasingly likely that there will be very little main crop available until September. These two factors alone, have now created a different dynamic in the market for cold stored material.

Throughout the early potato growing areas of The UK and Europe (Lower Saxony, Palatinate, West Flanders and Cornwall), the continuation of the wet and cold spell has had the dual effect of delaying planting whilst increasing sales of main crop on domestic markets.

Ex-Farm Potato Prices reported to IFA