UK a net exporter of fresh potatoes in 2017/18 season so far

Following the large harvest of over 6Mt of potatoes in 2016/17 there has been an abundance of potatoes in GB stores. This has pressured prices domestically with a clear divergence on the basis of quality, especially for white varieties. Increased domestic production last season has translated to an observed reduction in fresh potato imports to the UK so far this season. Due in part to the large harvest of potatoes in GB last season, imports of fresh potatoes have declined so far in 2017/18. UK exports of fresh potato produce have increased by 5% to 152.5Kt between July 2017 and April 2018. The destination for the overwhelming majority of UK fresh potato exports is the EU, whose countries receive over 98% of UK fresh exports. Increased exports of fresh potatoes to Spain and the Netherlands have been observed (Jul-Apr) on the year in 2017/18, but they have declined to both Ireland and Belgium. Read more