Jersey crops have not had rain since 3 April

Jersey crops have not had rain since 3 April

Jersey potato growers have been hit by the island’s worst drought for 34 years, sparking fears that up to 40 per cent of the crop could be lost this season.

Crops on the island have not received any rain since 3 April. The dry spell was officially declared a drought this week and technical managers from UK supermarkets have been visiting the island to survey the situation and consider how to cover supply.

One industry source said Asda and Morrisons could well be the supermarkets most likely to see empty shelves as a result of the issue.

Last year’s was a record crop, so like-for-like figures across the supermarkets are set to be hit hard.

Huge promotional activity has been planned around the season, but cold weather at the start of the year pushed the crop back and this new problem has further dismayed the multiples.

The source said: “The key element is going to be the Cornish season which is just coming on stream, but there is going to be a bit of a bun fight for product.

“When it does start to rain there is going to be a lot of Jersey Royal coinciding with the main Cornish season.”

The Cornish season is said to be looking promising due to good amounts of rain. Cornish new potatoes were on sale at Brighton market this week, making 160p a kilo.

The wholesale markets are likely to be hit hard by the new potato shortage, while caterers will also suffer from the deficit of product.

Mike Renouard, technical director at the Jersey Royal Company, told freshinfo: “There is huge pressure to supply at the moment and we should almost be coming into peak season, shipping 800-1,000 tonnes now, but there is not much we can do aside from irrigating as much as we can.

“We have to try and manage the situation. We will be light on yield in the first half of the season but hopefully yields will improve in the second half. Quality-wise, we might be fortunate. It is an unprecedented situation for everyone on the island and it’s a challenge we have to face up to.”

Current forecasts put the next signs of rain at next Thursday.

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