Comment: There have been no significant changes in the market this week.Merchants are now actively looking for Golden Wonders, which reflects the drop in overall production this year due to lower yields and quality issues.

Most of the material going into the peeling markets is coming from tare off the washing lines.

However, there is opportunity to supply primary product at prices up to €380/t depending on quality.

There have been some plantings of earlies in the south and southeast.

However, the area is very small and has stopped again in the past week. In the UK, prices for best-quality Whites have strengthened slightly, while poorer-quality material is under slight pressure.

On mainland Europe, prices remain very firm, as it appears all poorer-quality stock has been moved on.

There is virtually no free-buy material available across Europe, which will keep prices strong over the remainder of the season.

Despite these high prices, countries such as Poland are importing potatoes, as their domestic supply is failing to meet demand.

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