Italy: Potato producers are shifting towards early varieties

By examining the data published in the past few days, it is possible to see how the Italian production trend is shifting towards earlier varieties. “80% of the produce is now of the early varieties because all production areas are affected by high temperatures doing sowing, so there are drought problems meaning that additional irrigation is necessary (and therefore costs are higher). There are also more problems due to aphids. The more a variety is late, the more there might be problems while it grows,” explains Alberto Roncagli, sales manager for Marmocchi Angiolino. “The Italian market does not require the same varietal diversification expected in Northern Europe. They want different potatoes to make mash, chips, roast potatoes and so on, whereas here the most popular are generic “multi-purpose” ones. Except for potatoes to make chips, the Italian market uses medium potatoes. In addition, we must say that potatoes also have to compete with other types of vegetables, something that does not occur abroad.” More