Trial digging figures show exhausted potatoes

The situation for the main crop potatoes is becoming increasingly critical as long as it remains warm and dry. This is especially the case in the south of the Netherlands, Belgium and France. It is a battle of attrition in the field. The early varieties are already clearly on the way out, but the late varieties sometimes look as if it were September. Meanwhile, the crops for the main harvest have also been sampled for the first time, which gives a better picture of the situation. Potato trading company Bruwier in Belgium comes to 27.6 tons per hectare net in week 31, of which 30% is in the 50 millimeter size. That is substantially less (39%) than a year ago, which is not so surprising either. It is more comparable to 2023 and 2024, when the crops were planted very late and therefore lagged far behind. Compare A better comparison is to look at dry years. In 2018 Bruwier only started sampling in week 34. Fontane then came out at 30.9 tons/ha, and it was also noted that in 50% of the batches secondary growth was found and that these crops had ripened by 30%. 2022 was also dry. Then the yield in week 31 came out at 32.5 tons/ha and half was coarser than 50mm. Viaverda has not yet published any 'official' trial digging figures, but it has already published some figures. Especially on sandy loam the yields are very disappointing. Fontane comes out at 25 to 30 tons, which is about 5 tons less than average. The plots on the light soils have also already ripened by 30% to 40%. The agronomic institute therefore rightly asks whether it will still turn out well? The better and irrigated Fontane plots are doing better at 33 to 37 tons/ha. Moisture deficit increases Several thunderstorms pass through at the start of this week, of which the far south of the Netherlands may pick up something. Belgium and France may receive more water, although the weather maps are rather stingy. The drought index of the Belgian KMI is now largely dark brown. No significant precipitation is in the forecast until mid-August. The KNMI map is also almost black regionally, in the coastal areas and Limburg, which indicates a precipitation deficit of more than 300 millimeters. With the weather forecast for the coming two weeks, the average deficit will rise to 286 mm, putting us once again above the line of 2018 and even dangerously close to '76. Large differences The picture for France is not much different. That country too has been plagued by drought and extreme heat for an entire season. Germany shows a very different picture. It is difficult to say how the crops are doing. The differences are enormous. Last week quite a lot of precipitation still fell in the east and south. Most (french fry) potatoes grow in the west. Locally it is dry there, but around Hannover and Celle, for example, crops have had water in time and growers are very satisfied with crop growth. If you go further east, it actually only gets wetter. Poland received quite a bit of precipitation in July. It is especially wet in the north and northeast. Farmers are complaining loudly because the grain harvest is therefore progressing only with difficulty. It still has to get going, especially in the north. Northern Germany is also considerably wetter. Across the border in Denmark, and elsewhere in Scandinavia, the weather is also changeable at the beginning of August with below-average temperatures. Backyard The fact that it is precisely in the area where potato processing is clustered that it is very dry, in their backyard so to speak, means that there is now quite a bit of movement in the market. The last old potatoes are being sold for amounts above €20. Something that until recently was still considered impossible. Interest is also being shown in the new harvest. In small quantities some forward trading is also being done, although neither buyer nor seller is very eager. Processors are hoping for reasonable regrowth. They are not yet seeing it as so bleak, as long as it rains at the end of August. Buyers, on the other hand, find the premium paid for delivery next spring too low compared with delivery from the field in a month. This week the mercury will still briefly hit 30 degrees, after which it will remain in the low twenties. It will stay dry, apart from a few local thunderstorms. For the second half of August, the weather maps are now showing a very different weather pattern. Cold air is moving into Europe and with warm sea water significant showers can fall in the coastal areas. If it stays warm, these will again become thunderstorms. By the way, the warmth may return at the end of August, although that is still very far off. Secondary growth For crops that still have potential, that precipitation, if sufficient, can give the crops a boost. There are also plots for which that rain comes (much) too late and at best helps to make harvesting possible. However, the danger of secondary growth is looming, which is already being observed to a small extent in plots. Carrying out a successful MH spraying is a major challenge in plots with worn-out foliage. It is precisely where the crop is still nice and green that there are often hardly any kilos under it and it is still far too early. Rain or not, season 2026-2027 is a year with a story. Most insiders agree that the multi-year average is probably not going to be reached. Factories also expressed their concerns mainly about the lack of length in the tubers. The number of tubers is on average high and as a result crops do not achieve their length. There will, however, be major regional differences, with a better yield in Germany and Central and Northern Netherlands versus South Netherlands, Belgium and France.