Senegal suddenly opens border for potatoes

At the last minute before Christmas, Senegal suddenly appears as an important buyer of Dutch potatoes. It turns out not to be a savior in need, as the quantities available in the market are simply too large. However, it is a nice bonus that this outlet provides a ray of hope in the market for consumption potatoes. Currently, there is a shortage of potatoes in Senegal to meet the demand. For a long time, the market was supplied from local stocks, but the available quantities are insufficient to bridge the period until the new harvest. To fill the gap in the market, the authorities in Senegal allow imports. For Dutch exporters, it is particularly simple to fill these gaps. In the coming week, shipping containers will be partially filled with potatoes. This means that a few thousand tons of potatoes will quickly be sent to Senegal. An additional advantage is that the Senegalese market can absorb the smaller volume of onions a bit faster, so perhaps a bit more onions will still be needed later. A win-win situation, so to speak. In recent months, the lack of demand from Senegal for Dutch potatoes has been a significant setback. This was entirely related to the fact that a large amount of locally grown potatoes was stored this year. Last year, there was an attempt to do this with onions, but that experiment failed. The attempt with potatoes has yielded much more result. As a result, there are smaller marketing opportunities for the Netherlands. And that is quite unfortunate in a year when potatoes here are so extremely cheap. On time for January 1 All in all, there is a very short period this year in which larger quantities of potatoes can be sent to Senegal. On January 1, the border will close. This means that shipping loads can still go next week. After Wednesday, boats, which are already quickly on the move for eight days, will no longer arrive in Dakar on time before January 1. In the months up to and including October, just over 3,000 tons of potatoes have been exported to Senegal this year. In the same period last year, that was over 11,000 tons. In the two months that follow, another 20,000 tons were shipped. That quantity will certainly not be reached this year. Nevertheless, the few thousand tons that are going to Senegal is a nice bonus. The market has also responded here. The prices for Africa-suitable consumption potatoes in the size 45 to 70 millimeters have indeed increased slightly to 9 to 10 cents per kilo. Although not shocking prices, they do provide a nice boost just before Christmas. The second point of optimism in the potato market this week is the commitment from Royal Avebe. The starch company has informed its members that all potatoes registered in the autumn survey will be collected. For the so-called C potatoes, which fall outside the delivery rights of A and B potatoes, a base price of €1 per ton will be paid, but still. For growers who do not know where else to take their potatoes this year, that is one less problem. And for the cooperative, this is an opportunity to help the members somewhat.