Spain (A Limia): The Potato Roundtable is urgently convened due to low prices and flooding

The urgent assembly of the Potato Roundtable has been called for in response to plummeting prices and severe flooding in A Limia, a crisis prompting local farmers to lament that the fields have effectively turned into lagoons.

Producers in the region, who have already endured the complete loss of their winter cereal crops, are unable to access their fields for preparation and planting. Galicia, which accounts for 16.42% of Spain’s potato-growing area—primarily rainfed—leads in the production of mid-season potatoes, typically harvested in early September. However, Unións Agrarias has highlighted that this year, low market prices for potatoes—caused by strong harvests in Central Europe and reduced demand from industries like frozen potato processing—are being exacerbated by the persistent heavy rains flooding A Limia, one of Galicia’s most vital potato-producing regions.

Carlos Basalo, head of Agriculture at Unións Agrarias, warns that the situation has become critical. Not only have farmers lost their winter grain crops, but their inability to ready the land for planting potatoes before the end of March leaves them in jeopardy. The waterlogged fields are reminiscent of the former Antela Lagoon, rendering agricultural work impossible. To address this growing crisis, the agricultural organization has urged the Galician Ministry of Rural Affairs to convene the Galician Potato Roundtable without delay. This roundtable should bring together representatives from government bodies, industry players, and the production sector, alongside the regulatory board of the PGI Pataca de Galicia. Its aim would be to assess this unparalleled challenge and implement measures to help mitigate the financial losses suffered by farmers.

Currently, the situation appears dire. Market prices linger around 12 cents per kilo, a rate that Unións Agrarias strongly criticizes as being well below production costs. The organization is calling on authorities to enforce the Food Chain Law amidst concerns that producers are being pressured into underselling their crops. Additionally, they urge the Ourense Provincial Council to introduce aid initiatives similar to those established in the meat industry, with the goal of revitalizing this essential agricultural sector for the region.