Pepe Porcel

The first few weeks of the season were peaceful, but since mid May the pace has hotted up and forecasts suggest that by the end of the season, a lot of potato will be needed. However, the season will not be “pressurised” by the drop in production due to the drought or go on for too long.

José Porcel, manager of the Seville company Distrisur, S.L. thinks that the markets will demand potato at the end of the season, in June. “I think that the end of the season could be a sweet moment, with markets needing quite a lot of potato, even the Spanish market. Some areas of Europe which ought to have potato in June won’t have any because of the bad weather during the sowing period”

Distrisur has seen significant growth in sales on the German market through the company García Lax, potato supplier to Lidl, the discount store. Exports for this client in the 2008 season could exceed 15,000 tonnes.

The German market may also need potato at the end of the season in Andalusia, “because supermarkets insist on Spanish potato rather than the German potato which is too tender and has no skin, and so they try to delay the potato from Germany.

Porcel claims that this year there are more stocks on the market than last year, but the quality is not good and the markets have been very happy to receive the first early potato. He is certain that prices will be below last year’s prices, when even old potato became very expensive.