2023-07-09 14:42:11
In the fields, it’s time for potatoes in flower. White or pink depending on the variety. In the meadows, picnic time has well and truly arrived and handfuls of crisps are being crunched. In the refrigerated sheds, the potato walls crumble inexorably. But, even a little germinated, and picked in the fall of 2022, they are still very popular.
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And for good reason. Last year, the potato collection was shriveled, fried by blowtorches from the summer sun. From the end of August, the sector called on the State for help, arguing an expected drop in yield of 20%. Nothing like it to start the refrain and the usual couplet on the shortage of the commodity.
Anxiety was mounting and everyone was shivering at the prospect of spending the winter without potatoes. Eventually, according to data published by the Ministry of Agriculture, the collection of tubers ended down by 11% compared to 2021, at 8 million tonnes. A decline limited even to 6% taking the average of the last five years.
Manufacturers on the teeth
If the supermarket shelves have never failed, the manufacturers themselves have remained on their teeth. The ten factories in France producing crisps, fries or purees must be supplied. Especially since Belgian or Dutch industrialists also come to shop outside their borders and bite into stocks. More than 2 million tonnes were exported over the first eight months of the campaign.
No wonder then, faced with such an appetite, to see prices soar. The potato plays the show. The 10 kilo bag of the bintje, leaving Nord-Picardie, has become more expensive by more than 50%, compared to the average price of the last five years. And when availability dwindles, the bids go up another notch.
Companies forced to buy on the spot market lose their shirt. “The potato spot market has gone from 200 euros per tonne, a year ago, to 500 euros per tonne, even 600 euros this week”, testifies Philippe Fardel, owner of Mousline. He hopes to send the hot potato to distributors: “We passed a 10% to 12% increase in our rates in March, but it is not enough. We are asking for a further revaluation of 8% to 10% in July. »
For the next harvest, the producers are very courted. At bay, manufacturers are hunting for contracts. “We have increased the price of our contracts for 2023 by 50%, to 165 euros per tonne. But we only cover half of our needs, against the expected 80%”, says Mr. Fardel. The tuber nest egg…
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