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French fries and crisps manufacturers are investing more and more in Europe and driving up demand. A challenge for the potato sector already under pressure with production costs that have exploded.
One million more potatoes would be needed per year to meet the demand from European industrialists which is looming in the next two years. New processing plants are expected to open by 2024 and will complement new production lines that are coming into operation at existing structures. So many new capacities that will have to be fed.
This demand, which should only grow due to needs outside Europe, is already causing some turmoil in the contract prices offered for the next season “, according to Nedato, a Dutch producer.
In this context, the National Union of Potato Producers (UNPT) draws the attention of the public authorities: after a year 2022 which saw French production fall by 12%, to meet demand, struggling to maintain surfaces and sustain yields.
This will necessarily involve supporting farmers whose production costs are up 30% and who are also faced with a lack of water. Irrigation has become a real concern after last summer’s drought which saw yields in France drop to their lowest level in more than 27 years for ware potatoes.
► To read also: Potato: the worst yields for twenty years
What impact on crop rotation?
This strong demand from the crisps and fries industries could upset the allocation of surfaces. Because growing fresh potatoes is more demanding, and with regard to contract prices, some farmers may opt for a lower risk and therefore turn to industry! The call for air is already being felt, according to representatives of the sector.
Whatever the qualities grown, the energy challenge remains the same for 2023. The costs have been multiplied by 4 or sometimes 5. In industry as in fresh produce, the tuber is stored between 4 and 8 degrees, sometimes for several months. And impossible to give up this cold since the prohibition, two years ago, of an anti-germination molecule.
After an exceptional year 2022, farmers expect more remunerative prices that simply allow them to continue producing, they say. For France, the challenge is also to maintain its status as the world’s leading potato exporter.