Thomas Herkenrath, President of the German Potato Trade Association (DKHV), was pleased with the attendance at the 69th International Potato Autumn Fair. The annual industry meeting took place in Hamburg after a two-year break due to the pandemic.
"Everyone missed the personal interactions. Even though our leading European trade fair, PotatoEurope in Bockerode, was just three weeks ago, around 120 guests and 16 exhibitors used the 69th International Potato Autumn Fair on September 27, 2022, as a way to re-establish contact," the DKHV president says.
"One week ago, we were nevertheless surprised by the harvest yield estimate of 10.3 million gross tons as it was presented by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. It is a first estimate, which will certainly be adjusted over time. The regional differences between yields are enormous. Also, this gross value says nothing about the harvest expectations for the various utilizations. No reliable figures are available yet for acreage development or yields. According to our estimates, the table potato acreage has decreased. Fewer potatoes are expected to be available for fresh marketing," Thomas Herkenrath said in his opening remarks.
This assessment was shared by many guests. Unfavorable weather conditions, the increased cost of raw materials and energy, the labor shortage in the forwarding sector, the exuberant food quality demands and the attractiveness of other crops are creating uncertainty surrounding next year's cultivation decisions by farmers.
Tigran Richter, president of Europatat, the European umbrella organization for potato trading companies, provided information on crop forecasts in Europe. The Europatat data represented only an interim update on the current harvest campaign. Richter emphasized that the outlook for the coming trade season is difficult: "This is especially true as season's difficult weather conditions have led to a general harvest delay of about 14 days in many areas. This means that reliable harvest data is not a thing at the moment. However, preliminary reports from almost all regions indicate that yield losses and an associated reduction in total harvest volumes of between 10 and 20 percent are expected. With the exception of Scandinavia, where a largely normal harvest is expected, lower potato yields are to be expected across Europe. Quality is an issue as well, in some cases. Thus, even taking into account the general increase in production costs, we have to brace ourselves for a challenging 2022-2023 marketing season."
Herkenrath and Richter agreed that the various companies will certainly be able to overcome these difficulties. What is also certain, however, is that retailers and consumers will have to be brought on board as well, because picture-book quality products will not always be available this year. Of course, consumers always want a good-looking product, but the taste and versatility of these tubers are not diminished by minor external blemishes, Herkenrath concluded.