Potato market chronicle July 2020

What a year! And what can we say, so many buying habits have been turned upside down by the health crisis the world is undergoing. The state of health emergency ends on July 10, but the economic machine is slowly getting back into gear, while professional meetings have been cancelled.

As far as the market for our tuber is concerned, we’re still having to cope with the lack of sales of potatoes for the French fries industry.

Our European neighbors

The context for early production is different from last year, with supply from our Spanish, Portuguese and Italian neighbors still half that of France. However, supermarkets are keen to source French products that are traceable and less carbon-intensive. While supply remained relatively limited until around July 20, after that, the numerous early plantings in various basins are likely to change the situation.

No shortage of potatoes forecast

There will probably be no shortage of ware potatoes again this year. With the exception of certain regions in the Hauts-de-France, the weather has been kind to us with plenty of rain.

For seed potato production, aphid flights were high in northern France. Purification in the field is necessary. However, some downgrading of plots is to be expected.