British potato plantings down

Potato growers in the UK have paid heed to packers’ pleas to grow less this year, according to figures from AHDB Potatoes. The first estimate of total potato plantings in Britain this year suggests plantings are down 6.6% on last year at 279,476 acres. The planted area in 2014 was 299,244 acres. The data, which is based on feedback from nearly two thirds of all growers, was then combined with an average yield figure for the past five years to give a production estimate for harvest 2015. According to calculations, a mean yield of 18 tonnes per acre applied to the estimated planted area could result in a production of 5.05 million tonnes of tatties this year. (Source: AHDB Potatoes)