‘Scottish potato growers may be losing small fortune’

Scottish potato growers could be missing out on up to £700 in missed margins per hectare. That was the message from AHDB Potatoes strategy director, Rob Clayton, at the Farming Scotland Conference in Carnoustie. He said AHDB analysis showed that the top 25% of potato producers found that improvements in seed rates and energy efficiency could be worth approximately £37,000 for the average grower. “Farmers are not collecting this extra income for a number of reasons,” said Mr Clayton. “Changes to seed and nitrogen rates and making simple investments to improve store performance can make a real difference to the bottom line. We need to work on supporting producers to change their practices to improve productivity and increase their yields and margins.” More