After what was an almost perfect beginning to the growing season, the recent spell of prolonged high temperatures and dry conditions have been an obstacle for potato growers. The recent spell of prolonged high temperatures and dry conditions might have harmed potato crops. "The weather was ideal until three weeks ago. Everything was ahead of schedule and there were good growing conditions," said Joe Brennan, chairman of Potatoes New Brunswick's board of directors, late last week. "Then the conditions turned extremely dry and we experienced a setback. It is certainly taking a toll."

Nach einem nassen und zu kalten Frühjahr sei das Kraut im Hitzemonat Juli sehr schnell abgestorben, so dass die Pflanzen nicht mehr zu kräftigem Wachstum gelangten. Lediglich einige Spätsorten hätten vom regenreichen August profitiert und noch einmal kräftig zugelegt. Sie rechne mit einem Ertrag von etwa 300 Dezitonnen je Hektar. Die Agrargesellschaft hat in diesem Jahr auf fast 300 Hektar Kartoffeln angebaut. Wegen der günstigen klimatischen Verhältnisse seien die Erdäpfel aus Ostvorpommern besonders begehrt, sagte Schwanz.

Along North Dakota Highway 18 the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association annual Field Day included lots of discussion with a who’s who in the region’s potato production and processing industries. Breeding programs took center stage, drawing visitors from California, the Netherlands and Australia. While a discovery of potato psyllid insect pests grabbed headlines, here is what producers primarily were looking at, as described by North Dakota State University officials, including Asunta “Susie” Thompson, NDSU’s potato breeder, and colleagues.

Volgens de laatste schattingen van Agreste (het bureau statistiek van het Franse Landbouw Ministerie) komt de hoofdoogst (excl. zetmeelaardappelen) uit op 4,7 miljoen ton. Vorig seizoen toen net als dit jaar het areaal van consumptieaardappelen werd vastgesteld op 109.000 hectare (107.000 hectare in de oogstjaren 2007 en 2008) werd de uiteindelijke oogst vastgesteld op 5,15 miljoen ton. De moeizame start van het seizoen in het voorjaar en m.n. de langdurige droogte in juli zorgen dit sezioen voor een lagere gemiddelde hectareopbrengst. Volgens de verwachting van Agreste komt de totale aardappeloogst dus inclusief zetmeel, poot- en vroege aardappelen uit op 6,50 miljoen ton. Hiermee wordt de kleinste oogst sinds jaren benaderd. Alleen in 2006 werden er minder aardappelen gerooid en werd de definitieve oogst vastgesteld op 6,363 miljoen ton. Het is m.n. de oogst van zetmeelaardappelen die zorgt voor een kleine totale aardappelopbrengst. Naast het feit dat het areaal zetmeelaardappelen met 3.000 hectare is afgenomen (komt dit seizoen uit op 20.000 hectare) pakt de gemiddelde hectareopbrengst op de vaak niet bergende percelen met zetmeelaardappelen flink lager uit. De totale zetmeelaardappeloogst wordt ingeschat op bijna 870.000 ton tegen 1,1 miljoen ton in 2009. (Bron: Agf.nl)

Within the next five years Belarus’ potato export may reach 1 million tonnes, said President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko as he visited the company Otechestvo, Pruzhany District, on 7 September. The President was told that there are plans to increase the land under potato from 51,000 hectares now to 65,000 hectares within the next five years. Potato production in the public sector may be doubled to reach 2 million tonnes. Out of the figure 500,000 tonnes can be exported. After talking to the Brest Oblast Governor the Belarusian head of state said he believes that Belarusian producers are capable of exporting up to one million tonnes of potatoes.

There is now a sharp divide in the health of potatoes grown in Scotland, with a major survey covering more than 500 crops showing no evidence of the bacterial disease dickeya solani in crops grown from Scottish-origin seed. But the survey did show up nine cases of dickeya, which has devastated the Dutch potato industry in the past five years, in 26 crops grown from seed from a source outside Scotland. This more than doubles the previous number of known cases of dickeya which have been found in Scotland. All of them are linked to seed from outwith Scotland.

Harvested area for fall-season potatoes is forecast by the USDA to be down four percent from 2009. And given average yields, the department says fall potato production is expected to decline from last year’s crop. There are also tighter potato supplies in places like Canada, Europe and Russia. So, USDA economist Lewrene Glaser says, “U.S. grower prices are expected to average above year earlier levels during the 2010-2011 marketing year.”

According to Statistics Estonia, Estonian resident consumes 188 grams of potatoes a day, Latvian and Lithuanian residents 274 and 234 grams, respectively. The data are based on the European food consumption database DAFNE (Data Food Networking), which since autumn 2010 also contains data on Estonia.

Nach einigen Tagen mit guten Rodebedingungen erzwingen die Niederschläge diese Woche wieder eine Pause. Das für die Aufkäufer verfügbare Angebot hält sich in Grenzen, und die Qualität leidet unter den nassen Bedingungen. Zu der verminderten Qualität kommt langsam die Sorge, ob eine Rodung überhaupt möglich sein wird. Besonders auf schwereren Böden braucht es dazu noch eine längere herbstliche Trockenphase. In jedem Fall ist von sehr schwierigen Rodebedingungen auszugehen.

On September 8th and 9th, the Solana group exhibits at its own stand (No. ZC 05 in the tent area) at trade fair PotatoEurope in Bockerode, Hanover – nearly a home match for the North German potato breeder. And the Solana group is emphasizing at Potato Europe that a lot has changed this year. True to the motto "More quality. More flexibility. More internationality." the Solana GmbH & Co. KG assumes distribution and marketing of SaKa potato varieties in Germany from July 1st, 2010.

Late blight, the scourge that decimated potato and tomato crops across Maine and the Northeast last summer, has been confirmed at a site in Waldoboro, and other suspected sites along the coast are now being investigated, according to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Pest Management Office. One way to diminish a plant disease's impact is to grow resistant varieties. Dave Fuller, the agricultural professional with the Extension's Franklin County office is offering a tour of a demonstration site where he is growing several varieties of potatoes and tomatoes that seed breeders claim have some resistance to late blight.

More potato growers need to invest in the latest storage technology, such as positive ventilation, inverters and sub-meters, to maximise potato quality and help minimise costs. That was the key message given by Adrian Cunnington at the opening of a new £600,000 potato store at the Potato Council's rebranded Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research unit at Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire.

A drive to encourage best practice by collaboration identified cost savings at East Anglia's first potato day. Dr Marc Allison, of Cambridge University Farm, briefed growers at Tuddenham, near Newmarket, on initial results from a three-year collaboration process.“We are concerned that the small plot work is made relative to growers and put into practice. We've built up relationship with groups of growers and agronomists, including Branston and the Co-op. We look at the standard practice and what we've consider best practice. If there's a big enough difference, we'll compare the two and see if we can grow a better specification crop by making best use of inputs.”

The Government will continue levying the Rs 30 import tax for potato per kilo till the harvesting season is over. The local production are in the process of entering the market from Nuwara Eliya, Welimada, Haliela and from the Northern Province. This decision has been taken to protect the local farmers. Accordingly the present levy will be continued without any changes and the Government will decide appropriate amendments in the future. (Source: Daily Mirror)

Potato processor Simplot has told Tasmanian growers the world market is paying 30 per cent less this year. Managing director of Simplot Australia, Terry O'Brien, met growers in Deloraine on Friday, to outline the global trends before Tasmanian price negotiations start.

El INTA Balcarce -Buenos Aires- inscribió una nueva variedad para consumo en fresco. Requiere pocos cuidados y tiene un buen potencial de rendimiento. "Es una variedad de papa bien rústica que fue probada en condiciones de baja fertilización y riego y ha dado un potencial de rendimiento muy alto", dijo Marcelo Huarte, investigador del INTA Balcarce -Buenos Aires- y obtentor del nuevo material: Newen.

Uit nieuwe voorspellingen blijkt dat de de aardappelproductie in Oekraïne lager dan verwacht zal uitvallen. Wel zullen de volumes niet veel anders zijn dan die van 2009, toen werd 19,7 miljoen ton geoogst. Recentelijk verschenen in de media berichten dat de aardappelproductie in Oekraïne met 30 procent naar 14 miljoen ton zou dalen. Nadat bij alle leidende aardappeltelers in de diverse regio's informatie verzameld is, blijkt dat er geen scherpe daling zal plaatsvinden.

Cavendish Farms has purchased the breeding rights to a type of potato it says is suitable for French fries and good for the environment. It's the first time the Prince Edward Island company has bought the rights to an entire variety of potato, called Prospect. That means Cavendish decides who can grow the potato, which was developed on the Island. "This variety was very good for processing, very good for growing and very good for the environment," Blaine MacPherson, vice-president of Cavendish Farms, said Friday.

Europe's leading centre of crop storage research was officially opened at Sutton Bridge by Potato Council's chairman and Scots farmer Allan Stevenson. For the first time for almost a quarter of a century the 10-strong team, led by Adrian Cunnington, will be able to conduct research into bulk storage of potatoes.

Colorado’s potato crop is taking a devastating hit this year, all because of a bug that literally blew in on the winds from Mexico and south Texas. On the Strohauer farm, east of LaSalle in Weld County, the potato harvest is in full swing. And if you’ve ever heard the expression "small potatoes," it turns out there's some meaning behind it. "We’ve got a problem with the psyllid. It's an insect that came in on the south winds, that came up out of Texas," said Harry Strohauer, owner and operator of Strohauer Farms. "The bugs don't allow the potatoes to size up."

The average consumer today could go the rest of his life without consuming another fresh potato and be perfectly fine, Bruce Peterson told the audience at the 82nd annual Idaho Grower Shipper Association Convention. Peterson, president of Bentonville, Ark.-based Peterson Insights, said he wasn’t trying to make Idaho potato growers mad. He was merely pointing out that potato marketers must bring a more sophisticated marketing strategy to motivate consumers to choose potatoes over Doritos, Oreo cookies and thousands of other choices.

 Potato prices may drop as the West Bengal government is all set to offload 1 million tonne (mt) in the market by next week to rapidly cut excess stocks. Output in India’s second largest potato growing state doubled this year to touch almost 10 mt. But branded snack companies such as ITC and Pepsi will see no dip in raw material costs as the prices of the specialised varieties they buy remain steady.

La firme agrochimique allemande BASF a déclaré en début de semaine vouloir introduire un nouveau tubercule OGM en Europe. En mars dernier, cette même firme avait obtenu le feu vert de Bruxelles pour la commercialisation d’Amflora, une pomme de terre OGM destinée entre autre à la fabrication du papier. Cette autorisation avait fait beaucoup de bruit à l’époque et ému les associations de lutte contre les OGM : Amflora était le premier OGM autorisé en Europe depuis 1998. La pomme de terre que souhaite commercialiser BASF s’appelle cette fois Amadea.

Aardappeloogst 2010 lijkt een van de laagste opbrengsten in tien jaar tijd te gaan opleveren. Dat maakte DCA-directeur Kees Maas bekend tijdens de Aardappeldemodag in Westmaas. De oogst in de vijf belangrijkste aardappeltelende landen lijkt qua opbrengst uit te gaan komen op hoeveelheden die ook in 2003 ( 25,2 miljoen ton) en in 2006 (25,2 miljoen ton) gehaald werden, waardoor er een grote kans bestaat op hogere prijzen. Maas verwacht van januari tot juni een prijs die ligt tussen de 16 en 24 euro per 100 kg.

An application for the EU approval of a second genetically modified starch potato, Amadea, has been made to Brussels by developer BASF, as harvesting begins of its first GM variety, Amflora. Both potatoes are modified to produce pure amylopectin starch, rather than a mixture of amylopectin and amylase. In paper and adhesive industries, where potato starch is used, only amylopectin is needed and separating the two starch components is uneconomic.

The Ministry of Agriculture is eying to increase the production of tuber crops, especially quality potato seeds and their preservation and distribution in a bid to ensure food security and thus alleviate poverty, reports UNB. In this connection, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) Tuesday approved a Tk 4.21 billion project, titled 'Tuber Crops Development Project'.

South Korea has reopened to potato imports from the US state of Idaho following an assessment of the state’s nematode eradication programme by Korean scientists. Korea imposed a ban on Idaho potatoes in 2006 after the discovery of the pale cyst nematode in two of the state’s counties, reported the Idaho Statesman. Imports from those two counties, Bingham and Bonneville, are still banned, but the ban has been lifted for the rest of the state as of 29 July.

A potentially damaging trade row has flared up between EU and Chinese trade authorities as China claims Europe has been unfairly subsidising potato starch exports. China fears EU member states are propping up their potato starch companies in a way that damages Chinese domestic industries. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it launched a probe after receiving complaints from the China Starch Industry Association.

Die Kartoffel-Saison 2010 ist nach Ansicht von Ferdinando Imparato, Imparato Agrar GmbH, Plattling, mit einem großen Fragezeichen versehen. „Das schlechte Wetter wirkt sich auf all unsere Lieferländer aus. Eins steht fest: In 2010 wird es in Europa eine kleinere Ernte geben. Welche Volumen die einzelnen Länder aber tatsächlich erzielen, bleibt bis nach der Rodung abzuwarten“, erklärte Imparato im Gespräch mit dem Fruchthandel Magazin.

Chuck Stadick doesn’t want to predict the agricultural future of the Mon-Dak region — the northwest North Dakota and northeast Montana region. “No, we want to make the future,” says Stadick, who is one of the key experts the area has been counting on to help move the region’s potato industry into a new age of prosperity. Stadick is one of a handful of leaders in this corner of the world who are pushing opportunities toward niche markets in potato products as the future for the region’s ability to attract a processing company.

Members of the Australian Fresh Potato Industry Advisory Committee (FPIAC) are meeting in Hobart today to discuss possible threats including the ‘Zebra Chip’ disease complex and research and development priorities for the fresh potato industry in 2011. AUSVEG is the national peak industry body representing the interests of over 2,500 potato growers around Australia.

Le Comité national interprofessionnel de la pomme de terre dénonce dans un communiqué publié lundi « la multiplication des promotions à des prix exagérément bas ». « La filière de la pomme de terre ne pourra pas laisser s'organiser sans réagir un massacre des prix », estime le comité.