Potatoes: 11/12/2018

Ex-farm potato prices reported to the IFA

Comment: Potato growers have now turned their attention to analysing their year and stocks from the 2018 harvest. Growers are reported to be happy with trade and are expecting a further boost in trade as buyers are filling their supplies for the Christmas market.

Price is holding stable, with a 1t box of Rooster currently trading for €510. With all potatoes harvested in the country, growers can now fully see the effects of the reduced yields after the difficult year, with excess empty boxes in the yard in comparison with other years. In Donegal, growers are reported to be happy with 2018, with good yields, while yield is back significantly in other parts of the country. Storage issues, such as soft rot, are being noted as a problem currently, while a high level of wastage in Kerr Pinks in the south is also a result of the difficult year.

IFA national potato committee chair Thomas McKeown stated that with all potatoes being harvested and supply at its peak, growers should be patient, as the market needs to be supplied for another eight to nine months at least. Meanwhile, in the UK, the bag market is anticipating an increase in trade, as the free-buy packing market is reportedly beginning to wind down.