Europe has 1.4 million tons of unpicked potatoes
This year has been particularly difficult for Europe’s potato farmers, with continuous rains significantly delaying the harvest, leaving up to 1.4 million tons of the crop in the fields in a campaign expected to reach 23.6 million tons.
Mon 04/12/2023 by Richard Wilkinson
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The bad weather conditions in October meant that harvesting had to stop in many EU countries, just after it had got going. In mid-November, up to 250 mm of rainfall was recorded in potato growing areas of the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany, leaving plots flooded. Of the 1.4 million tons of unpicked potatoes, Holland accounts for 15% and Belgium for 11%.
After a moderate summer, yields could generally be classified as good, standing at 45.4 tons per hectare in the NEPG zone, which represents an increase of 6.3% from the previous campaign. The global harvest estimate of 23.6 million tons of potatoes from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France is very similar to the volume in 2021 (22.9 million tons).
