2021

Publication author: Christelle Denis – SARL D.Vegetables Potato market chronicle November 2021 All market chronicles After a rather wet summer, harvesting continued well into October. Harvested quantities are forecast to be slightly lower, but quality is deteriorating rather rapidly (scab, dartrose…). Since September, the domestic market has not been buoyant, and contracts with growers are more than sufficient to meet packaging needs. Will the harvest be sufficient to cover needs? If winter doesn’t encourage more consumption of potatoes, our harvest will be sufficient to cover the needs of the campaign! There is some concern about this market, which is struggling to get going. On the export front, we are nonetheless seeing a certain dynamism on the part of our Spanish and Italian neighbors, who are buying to stock up because of their lower production levels; but here again, they are also seeing lower consumption than in previous years. Central European countries are also buying earlier, due to unfavorable weather conditions in their countries; their purchases are mainly concentrated on unwashable or semi-washable potatoes. Potatoes, the French vegetable of choice In addition to this sluggish market, all raw materials (cardboard, wood, plastic, etc.) will have to rise in response to growing global demand. The elimination of plastic packaging for small potato packages also poses a problem for the supply of recycled raw materials, and increases production costs! Will consumers be able to keep up if prices continue to rise? Will they continue to buy potatoes, which are still one of France’s favorite “vegetables”?

Publication author: Jean-Marc Storper – SARL Maison Mendel Potato market chronicle September 2021 All market chronicles After a first part of the cycle that was too wet, marked by excess water and heavy mildew pressure that has rarely been equaled, here we are at the end of the cycle in dry conditions, to such an extent that irrigation is often necessary to harvest the plants. The impact of climate Climate disruption, or rather climate brutality, certainly has all kinds of surprises in store for us, depending on the variety and production basin (hollow hearts in large sizes, cracked, split, rust, scab of all kinds, mildew, erwinia, bacteria, etc.). There were wide disparities between plots, and often within the same plot, in terms of yield and quality. In any case, this wet season has triggered the phytosanitary budget like never before. Under what conditions will we be able to harvest, and what real quantities will be storable, marketable and in what category? Answer: not before the end of November, as always. Depending on storage problems, dubious lots are likely to weigh down the market in the first half of the season. The strategy of other countries On the domestic market, those nostalgic for back-to-school promotions on Bintje for cellaring are having a hard time realizing that Bintje is becoming rarer. And scarcity always puts pressure on prices. On the export front, Eastern European countries are particularly keen to buy. The Italians, who have suffered from the drought, are also paying close attention and will undoubtedly be in the game. The Spaniards, who seem to be better provided for, are timidly starting to buy unwashed, but are discussing prices. Have a great season!

Publication author: Yves Le Bouëdec – J. Lévesque SARL Potato market chronicle July 2021 All market chronicles It’s already July, who’d believe it? The capricious weather is making us doubt the start of summer. These temperature swings are disrupting tuber development.For early potatoes, this is true for practically all terroirs.Offers of Spanish and Portuguese washable products abound, with varying degrees of quality. However, they are preferable to old French batches. French products The transition to early French produce with ripe skin takes place at the end of the first dekad of July. Sporting harvesting conditions determine the right price. The first firm red flesh is in demand.All these factors contributed to a good flow of early produce, while awaiting the new conservation harvest. For the latter, rainy spells have favored growth and should, barring climatic accidents, augur well for a good harvest. Potatoes adapt to all seasons As far as seed potatoes are concerned, the increase in plantings may seem problematic in terms of sales, especially as an increase in sea freight, export pallets and bags leads to a significant mechanical rise in the final price. In many cases, our customers did not receive any tourists this year because of Covid. However, aphid thefts have been significant, and we’ll have to wait for the results of pre-culture tests to quantify which batches are suitable for sale. In the meantime, I wish you all the best for your vacations, and don’t forget that potatoes can be enjoyed in any way, in any season!

Publication author: Silvana Paolozzi – Ets Jacques Albert Potato market chronicle May 2021 All market chronicles We’ve come to the end of a year that has been, over the long term, very difficult and not very fluid: the sanitary restrictions, the closure of restaurants, the absence of all events and festivities, all of which have had a heavy impact on us.With the lifting of these restrictions over the past few weeks, there is renewed hope that we will at last be able to return to a healthier, more normal commercial environment. For the time being, purchases from industry are intensifying and prices are rising. France and Europe: the market On the export front, the end of the campaign is making itself felt, and Italy and Eastern Europe are not buying. Sowing is almost complete, in good conditions but cold temperatures. Potatoes imported from Egypt and Israel are fetching good prices thanks to strong demand from Italy and Spain, countries that don’t usually buy. In France, we could be selling more right now, but we’re sorely lacking in quality potatoes. The demand is there, but the Italians and Spaniards are only looking for top-quality products, and we’re suffering to sell potatoes that this year have many defects. Admittedly, the withdrawal of the CIPC and the time needed to adapt to the new antigerminants have something to do with this. But perhaps we need to pay more attention, because without quality, we’re losing volumes as well as our historic customers, and can’t claim prices that cover production costs. Into the unknown for the future of the market The NEPG is announcing a 3 to 5% drop in plantings, the first year in a long time that these have always risen. We can only hope for a good recovery and better conditions for the coming campaign.

Publication author: Jérôme Bonnier – J B Grains SARL Potato market chronicle March 2021 All market chronicles France, under the guise of Covid, has just proved locavores right. Far from all the indigestible standards, producers and consumers are discovering each other. Direct sales from vending machines, farm stores and city stores are becoming essential marketers. Let’s produce local, sell local, eat local; if possible, organic and year-round. Even if we can’t grow everything everywhere all year round. Last year at this time, we were bursting at the seams with unsold stock. Trucks in dispute every day Then Covid came along and we experienced collapses and recoveries. And let’s not forget the change in antigerminants, with growers lost with the new products wreaking havoc on storage. Fridges are running at full capacity to hold a potato that is aging very badly. Trucks are in dispute every day. Buyers are doing their best to meet the ever-increasing demands. With all these changes, the industry is struggling to find its feet. All the producers who supply the French fries segment are running low on stock. With Covid, organic production volumes are in surplus. Local authorities have to serve part of their meals organically, but if it’s confined, it’s not consumed… In supermarkets, sales are almost identical to last year, if not slightly higher. In step with confinements Our Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and German customers are also switching to local produce. We only receive very occasional requests for specific products. The tare rates applied are very high on certain batches. Many damaged potatoes are cleared. After a slight upturn and a few hedge buy-backs, Belgian and Dutch manufacturers are now back in the doldrums. The flake market is completely saturated. Egypt and Israel will start harvesting around mid-April. Planting in France’s primeur regions is underway. The first Breton flakes should arrive around June 1st. Let’s be positive: we’re expecting demand to overheat when all the gathering places reopen. But when?

Publication author: Frédéric Laviron – Roussineau SA Potato market chronicle January 2021 All market chronicles The pandemic is not without consequences for our potato market. The out-of-home catering sector is on life support, with the main consequence that processing plants are slowing down. Difficulties in sourcing and applying substitute products The MINs are also slowing down, leaving only the supermarkets to market our potatoes. Households have reverted to their usual purchasing habits after the 1st confinement craze, and continue to prefer “pan-fried” ready meals. This imbalance leads to a constant demand for 1st category washable products and an amorphous market for second choice and non-washable products, with French operators working to respond favorably to the demands of mass retailers, whether in terms of quality or for the numerous promotions. Our export markets continue to be marked by the same demand, and prospects for sales of basic products to Eastern Europe remain slim. Marketing is made all the more delicate by the discontinuation of CIPC, and the difficulties in sourcing and applying the products that replace it, leading to a more rapid deterioration in sanitary and physiological condition in storage (mechanical damage and germs). The future of the market So what does the future hold? While a certain increase in the price of 1st category products is unavoidable in the short term, it should remain limited by the price of the basic washable product, for which there is currently little demand. Although average, our production remains sufficient, even surplus, given the limited supermarket market. I hope that 2021 will lead us to more peaceful paths and more fluid markets. On behalf of the brokers’ union, I would like to wish you and your loved ones an excellent New Year.