British potato growers have planted an increased area of emerging varieties to serve the fresh packing market, new figures show.
The shift in growing patterns, which has seen a number of smaller varieties planted in significantly greater volumes, comes amid reports of increased levels of ‘on-contract’ supermarket supply, where prices are agreed in advance.
The varieties that havegained the most area this season are fresh packing potatoes Nectar and Melody, which increased their area by 1,000ha and 700ha respectively. Both are more recent introductions to the UK market than Estima, which has decreased in area by around 400ha this season.
Maris Piper still remains the most planted potato, according to the AHDB Potatoes Area by Variety Estimate,with three times more area than the next most popular fresh packing variety.
Overall the area planted that is intended to supply the fresh retail sector has increased for the second year in a row to an estimated 38 per cent of the total planted area in Great Britain, while the area planted to serve the processing sector has decreased, also for the second year running, to 29 per cent.
AHDB Potatoes' market intelligence analyst, Amber Cottingham, said: “The packing market has seen another increase in area this season, with acreage intended for processing declining once more. This may be due to a reported increase in contracts offered in the packing market as retailers seek to reduce the financial fluctuations they encounter in meeting demand.
“There continues to be some changes in the top 10 list, as newer varieties designed to suit today’s needs – both at an agronomic and consumer level – continue to increase in popularity. Likewise, some of the biggest losers this year are older varieties, which are being replaced by newer alternatives.”
Top 10 potato varieties in Great Britain in 2017
1 Maris Piper (16,800ha)
2 Markies (5,800ha)
3 Maris Peer (5,000ha)
4 Melody (4,500ha)
5 Lady Rosetta (3,400ha)
6 Nectar (3,200ha)
7 Estima (2,900ha)
8 Taurus (2,800ha)
9 Pentland Dell (2,800ha)
10 Marfona (2,500ha)
