Belgium: Another 600,000 tons of free potatoes in Belgian storage warehouses
The potato stock in Belgium, determined on the reference date of 1 April, is comparable to last year. However, the share of potatoes that are still freely available is higher than in previous years.
The Belgian potato stock amounted to 1.82 million tonnes at the beginning of April, according to an inventory that research institute Viaverda carries out several times during the year on behalf of the Flemish government. According to the researchers, potato sales are going smoothly in Belgium. Of the total harvest of 4.31 million tonnes of potatoes in 2024, a relatively large number of contracted batches have already been delivered.
The estimate of 1.82 million tons of potatoes in Belgian storage warehouses is almost the same as last year and about 5 percent more than the five-year average. Viaverda states that of the current stock, a third consists of free potatoes. That is around 600,000 tons, clearly more than previous years.
More potatoes in Wallonia
Of the 4.08 million tonnes of storage potatoes harvested in Belgium last year, the share of free potatoes was already 4 percent higher than the five-year average, at 1.28 million tonnes. The potato stock is still the largest in Wallonia. The share of free potatoes is considerably larger in Flanders.
The amount of Fontane still in stock in Belgium is approximately 1.15 million tonnes. That is slightly less than last year, but more than the five-year average. It is also noticeable that most of the Innovator and Challenger have already been delivered. In contrast, the largest part of the harvested volume of the Markies variety is still in the storage cells.
Fuente: nieuweoogst.nl
