Extreme weather conditions have shaken the European potato industry. Last year was in fact the second warmest year in Europe, reports Аgriland.
The drought led to a sharp decline in total potato production.
According to preliminary data, the harvest in Northern Europe, the UK and Ireland was about 2 million tons less than usual.
This is almost a third of the total potato production in the UK and Ireland, while packers and processors are struggling to supply consumers from a rapidly shrinking supply base.
The end result has been a sharp rise in prices, especially in the potato processing sector.
Prices reached record levels
As a reminder, European prices for potatoes for processing have reached record levels as increased competition from processors for limited non-contracted (free) stocks has pushed physical prices up. The Mintec benchmark prices for Dutch processing potatoes on April 18 were estimated at 330.00 euros/t, the highest value since the start of the price series in 2014.
Ireland, through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), plans to distribute planting potatoes to 10,000 of Ukraine’s most vulnerable farmers in rural areas, including villages on the front line. The budget allocates 450,000 euros for this purpose.
Mark Pavek, a professor and potato specialist at the University of Washington, has proven through years of research that the optimal distance between potato rows in the Columbia River Basin is 76.2-81.28 cm.
The EU-funded PhotoBoost potato gene editing project aims to increase the rate of photosynthesis in potato crops to improve yields, water use efficiency and drought resistance.
In a joint trial in the Cherkasy region, the Ukrainian potato variety Knyahynya yielded 108 tons per hectare. This is how it took first place among potential competitors on the market, said Mykola Furdyga, director of the Potato Growing Institute of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine.