Starch potatoes revaluated.

摘要

Starch potatoes have had a special consideration in the EU common agricultural policy (CAP). In the latest CAP reform 2005, this consideration is prolonged. Starch processing factories continue to fetch a subsidy for processing the higher water content of starch from potatoes, compared to cereals. They have to guarantee producers a fixed price of 33.5 Euro/t for e.g. 16% starch content. On top of this farmers get a subsidy of 12.5 Euro/t. The subsidies increase for each percentage point starch content up to 20% with a guaranteed price of 41.4 Euro/t and a 15.4 Euro/t farm subsidy. However, compared to previous years these subsidies still reduce the crop output per ha for starch potato growers by 300 - 450 Euro/ha, depending on starch content and yield. For the region of Lower Saxony in northern Germany this reductions are compared to the expected economic changes in other arable crops grown in the rotation. For wheat and maize an output reduction of only 311 Euro/ha is predicted and therefore a moderate shift in cropping towards cereal crops is expected..