IN North West Europe, drought has remained a concern, despite recent rain, according to The Northwestern European Growers Association (NEPG).
The organisation stated recently that post-emergence herbicide treatments had caused phytotoxicity in places, which, together with dry conditions, was expected to slow plant growth and ultimately reduce yields.
Its member growers had been puzzled by the sharp fall in producer prices since early March. Prices plunged from €30 / 100 kg at the end of February to €7.50 / 100 kg in June. The drop has been attributed to exports of processed potato products beginning to slow last year, alongside high production costs meaning European frozen‐chip prices were no longer competitive with those from Canada, China, India, and other new market entrants.
Changed tariffs imposed by the current US administration further hindered European exports.
Meanwhile, record-high spring buying prices in 2023 and 2024 had led many farmers to assuming low prices were a thing of the past.
“Although overall demand for processed potato products continues to grow, our competitiveness is undermined by higher European production costs, driven by energy, freight, environmental compliance, and stricter regulations on water use, pesticide application, and carbon emissions. In addition, increasing soil-borne pests (nematodes, wireworm, nutsedge) and emerging diseases such as stolbur add technical and financial risk. Growers must recognise these limits and work collaboratively across the value chain to bolster competitiveness before further legislative measures—longer crop rotations, cultivation bans in vulnerable areas, or tighter pesticide restrictions—are imposed,” the organisation stated.
Source/Photo: NEPG
