Brazil: Potato supply remains high in wholesale markets

This week (March 10 and 14), potato supplies remain strong at wholesalers, with many of the regions currently producing still at the peak of the harvest. 

In Cerrado Mineiro, more crops are being harvested each week, further increasing the market supply. And although the weather has been somewhat milder this week, the heat continues to affect the potatoes (darkening of the skin), making it necessary to harvest them early to avoid further loss of quality and rot. With the oversupply, the difficulty in transporting the crop, and the intense heat with little rain, there are reports of producers raking in their crops, which have become unfit for sale and consumption. 

On Tuesday (11), there was rain in Guarapuava (PR), which ended up limiting the next day’s harvest in some fields, slightly reducing supplies. As of Thursday (13), field activities returned to normal and volumes resumed. With this, the average price of the special Agata potato stood at R$ 49/25 kg bag in the wholesale market of São Paulo (SP), stable compared to the previous week; R$ 46/sc in Belo Horizonte (MG), also unchanged; and R$ 51/sc in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), an increase of 10.6%. 

For next week, due to the forecasted rains in some areas, the harvest could be interrupted at times.