News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from United Kingdom

The latest estimates from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) show British potato stock levels were down 13 per cent on the five-year average. However, comparable to other tight supply seasons, they were a little higher.

After spending 2018 opening the doors to new markets for British seed potatoes, the AHDB Exports team will focus in 2019 on strengthening relationships with existing markets.

The size of Northern Ireland’s retail potato market value has increased by 2.2%, or £1.0m, for the 12 months ending November 30th 2018.

After Great Britain published its potato statistics earlier this month, the North-western European Potato Growers (NEPG) created the overview for their entire region: an 18 percent lower total harvest

Shoppers in the United Kingdom bought 1.4 per cent more fresh potatoes this year compared to last year and 3 per cent more than in 2015, new data shows.

The revised estimate for the total 2018 potato planted area in Great Britain is 117.3Kha, down 4.4% from 2017. Also includes shifts in the Top ten potato varieties grown in Great Britain in 2018

Rezatec - a UK based company focused on the analysis and interpretation of satellite data - has in collaboration with AHDB Potatoes investigated the effectiveness of using satellite data to map the extent of potato crops in pilot locations across the UK.

The Potato Processing companies in the United Kingdom have released a statement through the Potato Processors’ Association Ltd (PPA), expressing their concern for the impact of current weather conditions on UK potato processing sector.

AHDB Potatoes is encouraging seed potato producers to consider Cuba as an export destination after recent meetings with Government officials in the country.

United Kingdom potato trade saw strong performance from its processed potato sectors in the first seven months of the 2017/18 marketing season. Trade of frozen potato has seen strong growth both leaving and entering the UK, although imports still outweigh exports by ten-fold.

Great Britain potato stock levels held by growers are estimated at 2.4Mt as at the end of January. This represents the largest end-January stocks figure since the stocks survey began in 2010.

AHDB Potatoes announced earlier this month that GB potato stock levels for the end of November are estimated at 3.6M tonnes, the highest level for this point in the season since 2011/12.

AHDB Potatoes will officially launch its Potato Data Centre (PDC) at BP2017 at Harrogate on 22 and 23 November.

One of the key features of the biennial British Potato event is the seminar programme and the approaching Brexit is of course a topic that must be front and center at an event in the United Kingdom.

In Great Britain, Maris Piper is still by a wide margin the most grown potato variety. But potato growers have planted an increased area of emerging varieties to serve the fresh packing market

Government representatives from Scotland and Brazil met in July to simplify the import classification requirements for seed potatoes. The game-changing meeting was organised and funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

In Scotland, a group of major potato businesses and public sector organisations have sponsored a £242,000 (USD 313,000) research project aimed at reducing the impact of potato disease blackleg on the Scottish seed potato industry.

Seed potato growers for the United Kingdom who have been confident that crucial trade with Egypt and other non-EU markets would not be disrupted by Brexit may be in for a shock.