Seed potato export starts slowly this season

The Dutch seed potato export has started more slowly than normal in the first months. Up to and including December, with the exception of the dry year 2018 and the wet autumn in 2023, the smallest amount has been exported in years. Nonetheless, the export to Africa is significantly larger than in the past two years. The tally of the Dutch seed potato export remains at 309,377 tonnes for the time being, according to an overview from the Dutch Potato Organisation (NAO). Very good deals have been made with Algeria in terms of volume. The country has already imported more than 80,000 tonnes of Dutch seed potatoes. There is a healthy demand for seed potatoes in this closed market for consumption potatoes. Neighboring country Libya is also noticeably active in the market with an import of nearly 14,000 tonnes of Dutch seed potatoes. The Libyans have purchased double the amount compared to the average in the past five years. For the Libyans, the Spunta varieties were too expensive in recent years. Now that prices are significantly lower, they are seizing their opportunity. However, moving further east, sales are considerably disappointing. Over the past five years, Egypt has accounted for a purchase of 33,000 tonnes of Dutch seed potatoes, but this has now dropped to 23,000 tonnes, which is 10,000 tonnes lower. Moreover, the prices the Egyptians are willing to pay for new starting material are also significantly lower than in previous years. Last year, too much seed potato was sent to Egypt, and the suppliers are noticing that now. The total export to Africa amounts to 153,355 tonnes by the end of December. Despite the smaller sales in Egypt, that is about 18,000 tonnes more than last year. Last year, the African purchasing interest was a fraction smaller than the five-year average, this year the sales are 13% above that. In Asia, the recovery in exports to Syria stands out. After the fall of the Assad regime, seed potato exports to Syria have picked up significantly again. In the past few months, nearly 10,000 tonnes have gone there. Although that is still not as much as the 14,000 tons in 2022, it is many times more than the 1,700 tonnes in 2024. With the arrival of a new regime, it has become easier to ship seed potatoes to the country. Important customers such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Pakistan, Israel, and Iraq are, however, buying less new starting material. As a result, the total sales to Asia are about 4,000 tonnes (5%) lower than last year. By the end of December, the interim total in exports to Asia stands at 74,146 tonnes. That is a quarter less than the over 100,000 tonnes that were sent to this continent by the end of 2022. Invoice not yet paid In the export figures to America, Cuba stands out in particular. For many years, this country has been a buyer of about 10,000 tonnes per season. This year, no kilos are going there. This is because the state purchaser has not paid last year's invoices. As a result, exports to America have so far been stuck at less than 8,000 tonnes. In Europe, buyers are cautious. Fry manufacturers like Clarebout (Simplot) have indeed already procured some seed potatoes, but it remains quiet otherwise. Particularly Germany, Cyprus, and Spain have so far purchased less seed potatoes. In total, 74,000 tonnes of seed potatoes have been delivered within Europe, according to NAO figures. That is 13,000 tonnes less than last year. However, it is still early in the season for deliveries to potato growers in Europe. The expectation is that the potato areas in Northwest Europe will turn out to be somewhat smaller, but this shrinkage will not come close to the 15% decline hoped for by some organizations.