Potato growers in Scotland face the greatest uncertainty in years as input costs have rocketed but markets remain stagnant – so growing the crop this year will be a major ‘gamble’.
As John Sleigh reports for The Scottish Farmer, a surplus of potatoes in the last few years had kept the market stagnant, leaving farmers selling at anything from £60/t to £220/t for ware, depending on grade. In contrast to flat prices, costs are rocketing with fertiliser, fuel and rent all on the up.
This is leaving many farmers wondering if planting this spring is a gamble they can afford to take. Aberdeenshire seed potato grower, Graham Twatt, Easter Cushnie, summed it up: “This is the most challenging time in farming we have ever seen.
“Fuel and fertiliser we know are going up, but rents are bound to rise too with strong cereal prices. We are selling most tonnes in the low £300s but if we are to continue, the price needs to be closer to £400/t.”
Source: The Scottish Farmer. Read the full story here
Photo: Courtesy The Scottish Farmer
