Help growers by eating more spuds

The West Midlands is mostly dominated by processing production for chips or crisps. Wales and Cornwall produce a lot of new potatoes, and Somerset and Herefordshire primarily produce table potatoes.

Each crop requires attention to detail and management to tight market specifications with the end-market firmly in sight. However, this system has recently been disrupted by changes in demand as a result of coronavirus, increasing market volatility.

In March, there was an upswing in demand for sacks of potatoes, although this has since receded. Meanwhile, many foodservice outlets have been closed down, resulting in high quantities of chipping material struggling for a home.

Market specifications have been altered allowing some of the processing crop into the table potato market, which may help some processing growers. However, table potato producers tend to have higher costs of production, normally counteracted by higher returns, which may not be the case now.

We can all help out our growers by eating a few extra spuds.

AHDB is also looking for a host farm for the new Strategic Potato (SPot) farm West as part of AHDB’s Farm Excellence (FE) platform. For more information please contact myself, at bill.watts@ahdb.org.uk or visit the FE webpage: https://ahdb.org.uk/farm-excellence.

Dr Bill Watts is AHDB Knowledge Exchange Manager for Potatoes (West & Wales)