Germany: Frustration among producers over good potato harvest with low prices

They are harvesting the best potato crop in the last 25 years, which, given the oversupply, is causing a sharp drop in producer prices.

Fabian Wigger confirms it. “The yield is excellent. We have 20% more tubers per plant.” He explains that the reason is the almost ideal weather for potatoes this year, with sufficient moisture during tuber formation. However, at the same time, the cultivated area has also increased, which is creating a large supply on the market and, consequently, a drop in prices. “This, obviously, hurts sales,” says the farmer from Letteran.

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This is especially true for those who sell to retailers, as these retailers can now impose ridiculously low prices. That’s why there are already reports of farmers letting their potatoes rot in the fields because harvesting them isn’t profitable, or taking them directly to biogas plants. Wigger considers this unacceptable. Given world hunger, he says it’s "wasteful and counterproductive." The quality of the tubers is exceptionally good. "I couldn’t bear the thought of spoiling it."

Fortunately for him, he can cope better than others. With his family’s farm shop, he relies almost exclusively on direct sales. Only a small portion of the harvest goes to retailers in Lette. However, he also has to adjust his shop to the lower prices in the food sector. He has to reduce prices by 30 to 35 cents per kilo.

Christoph Homann, a farmer from Coesfeld who also sells directly to consumers, is less affected than other farmers, partly due to the modest quantity of potatoes he grows. For Fabian Wigger, however, the enormous volume is proving to be a real challenge. “It’s crazy. All the warehouses are full,” says the farmer from Letteran. “We’ve never experienced anything like this.” He was still harvesting potatoes on Monday. “They’re still in the dump truck. We don’t even know where to store them.”