Better prospects for potato growers: Costs are stabilising and sales are holding up but challenges of PCN and EU law remain, says Jack Shamash

摘要

There is a popular perception that potato growers thrive in a recession. According to conventional wisdom, in hard times people dispense with the wild rice and organic lamb and opt for more humble fare such as pies and mash. While this might draw a simplistic picture, there does seem to be a measure of truth in it. Potato growers are relatively confident about the future, although there are some potential problems that threaten the industry. Latest figures from the Potato Council show that the demandfor good-quality potatoes remains high, although there are plenty of poorer-grade potatoes around, which is depressing the lower end of the market. Top-quality new potatoes are going for anything up to ￡1,150 per tonne. Good-quality main-crop potatoesare realising anything up to ￡200 per tonne.