At least a quarter of German potato crops doomed to fail this season, Association warns

Sustained high temperatures and a lack of rainfall have hit German farmers hard, including the country’s important potato sector, reports Deutsche Welle (DW). The German Association of the Fruit, Vegetable and Potato Processing Industry (BOGK) warned on Sunday that the ongoing drought means potato harvests will be “dramatically” reduced this year. Out of all the potato products, french fries are likely to be impacted the most, the association warned. “Large potatoes, which are necessary to produce french fries, will only be available in small numbers or in the worst case not at all in many areas,” the BOGK said in a statement. The BOGK estimates that a minimum of 25 percent of the potato crops this year will fail, while the association’s director said that number could be as high as 40 percent if conditions continue. Read more