According to estimates of the Institute of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization and the Institute of Agriculture and Food Economics, Poland’s potato harvest has amounted to approximately 6.7 million tonnes, which is nearly 1 million tonnes less than in 2014. The main reason for the fall in the harvest was the lower yields caused by prolonged drought and hot weather during the growing season, as the total acreage actually increased by approximately 30 thousand hectares, reaching 308 thousand hectares. It is also worth noting that the potatoes harvested in 2015 are not of the best quality, with a large proportion of small tubers with a diameter of less than 35 mm. The marketable yield is estimated at only 50-70 percent, compared to the average 70-80 percent.
In the 2015/16 season, prospects point to a downward trend in the consumption of unprocessed potatoes, as evidenced by a marked reduction in this year’s harvest, both in Poland and in other EU countries, which will result in a significant increase in the prices of domestic and imported potatoes. Fresh potato consumption is expected to fall to 80 kilos per capita, i.e. down by approximately 5 percent compared with the 2014/15 season. Source: farmer.pl
