Autumn is potato time: the harvest is currently underway in many regions. Due to the weather, the amount is lower than in previous years. What are the consequences for consumers?
Experts expect a lower potato harvest this year – consumers will face slightly rising prices.
Instead of 12 to 13 euros per 100 kilograms as it was a year ago, the price will now possibly rise to 14 to 15 euros, said Christof Hambloch from the Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft in Bonn. Lower Saxony is the number one potato country, ahead of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. Almost half of the total cultivation area of 259,300 hectares is located between the Ems and Elbe.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture expects an average harvest this year. Overall, a harvest of around 10.6 million tons can be expected. That would be 9.2 percent less than in the previous year and 0.4 percent less than the average for the years 2015 to 2020.
According to the ministry, one reason for the lower result is the weather conditions with an exceptionally cold spring and a changeable and wet summer in many places. The harvest only started to pick up at the beginning of September. In addition, the area under cultivation is decreasing. According to the ministry, 5.2 percent less area was planted with potatoes than in 2020.
Fans of french fries will have to be prepared for relatively short fries. “The yields are not bad, but we have quality problems,” said Hambloch. In many cases, the potatoes were not thick enough and formed a cavity inside. The result: when cut into sticks, they break in half.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
