Francia: French starch potato producers called to mobilize

“This is the imminent situation that the starch potato growers, who supply the last two French starch factories (in the Somme and the Marne) producing high purity starches intended to supply the food industry, pharmaceuticals (composition of Doliprane, Advil, etc.), cosmetics (lipsticks), paper, etc., will have to face,” according to the last UNPT press release.

While the starch sector is still battling to recover from the post-Covid crisis, when global starch prices dropped, it is also feeling the brunt of a climatic catastrophe, which is having a significant impact on national yields, causing them to plummet. The lowest yield ever reported is 107.5 tons per hectare in 2022.

“As a result, the starch potato production is down 28% in a year, and producers are justifiably concerned about the future of French industry. While surface areas have already decreased by 12% in 2022, 2023 will see an additional 15% decrease with 2,500 hectares less! Less surface area equals less volume for the two French processing factories that handle starch potatoes, which are directly threatened with closure by this slowing of surfaces, even though their industrial viability has already been impaired for years,” the UNPT document shows.

Faced with the collapse of an entire industry, which nevertheless contributes to the French trade balance of about EUR60m per year, the UNPT continues to warn public authorities about the gravity of the situation for our food sovereignty and industrial competitiveness.

“After the hope born of the meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, last September 2, to revalue the coupled ‘starch’ aid up to EUR500 per hectare instead of EUR80 currently, to exceptionally encourage producers to maintain their surfaces (i.e. EUR10m out of a CAP budget of EUR11bn!), the observation after six months is bitter: the rejection of all the proposals made by producers to maintain surfaces via direct aid,” the UNPT representatives added.

The French starch potato producers, like the sugar beet sector, are up against a brick wall due to their government’s indifference, which is driving the country toward reliance on foreign starch.

“To show the starch sector’s outrage, the UNPT invites all potato farmers to join the national demonstration organized by the ‘FNSEA Grand Bassin Parisien’ on February 8 in Paris. The UNPT will not accept the abandonment of a sovereign agricultural sector and seeks a reaction from the government commensurate with the unprecedented catastrophe that the national starch sector is experiencing,” the press release concluded.