Netherlans: Cheap potatoes do not encourage processors
Dutch potato processors have reduced capacity in May, despite the cheaper raw material. In total, 340,700 tons of potatoes were swallowed by the factories, which is more than 7 percent less than in April.
April was historically a very good month for potato processing this year. The figures for May are not very telling in that respect. Production was also only slightly larger than in the same month last year.
The latter is also characteristic of this season. Because over eleven months, the processing is only 1.4 percent larger than a year ago, with a total quantity of 3.6 million tons. In this respect, the period from July to November is in stark contrast to the months after that.
Storage season
Particularly during the off-land period, far fewer potatoes were processed than during the storage season. In the months of July to November, 65,000 tonnes less were processed, while the supply to the factories from December to May was 115,000 tonnes higher. Particularly in April and December, more potatoes were processed this season.
The supply of Dutch potatoes dropped to 214,500 tonnes last month. This amount is a fraction smaller than in the same month last year. Imports increased slightly compared to last year to 126,200 tonnes. The total processing of imported potatoes will increase to 1.55 million tonnes this season. The import flow will thus reach a new record amount. The processing of Dutch potatoes is barely larger than in the corona year 2020.
Fuente: nieuweoogst.nl
