UK potato growers have had to face up to a number of challenges this season, with low temperatures, rain and even snow in the planting period holding back production, while downpours in May and early June have disrupted the harvest.
A 10-day delay in the new crop has seen supply fall short of demand as sunshine levels increase, pushing up prices and maintaining a buoyant market.
But it is almost impossible to predict how each season will pan out and, this year, the erratic weather has led to one of the trickiest starts to supply.
A small acreage was planted in Cornwall back in January and February, before Suffolk and Pembrokeshire followed in early March, followed by the rest of the UK. The new season looked to be getting off to a promising start in March, when planting got underway, but growth was promptly stunted by a prolonged cold snap in April.
Paul Coleman, technical director at Greenvale AP, says growers have had their work cut out to deliver the new-season crop on time and to the right standard, but he insists that well-established suppliers should be able to fulfil their commitments. “The early season has been in more turmoil than it has been for a number of years because of the way the weather has been since early March,” he says. “It was cold and wet throughout the critical growing period in April and, as a result of the havoc this caused, a lot of the crop has been delayed.
“This year, we planted three to four weeks later than we did last season and, so far, yields have been lower than last year.
“Emergence was slow, but there have not been too many pests and disease issues, despite the conditions. Those that have come through are looking good, but crop development has been very, very slow.
“We have a big advantage with Vales Emerald, which is consistently earlier than Maris Peer and has high yields. Charlotte, on the other hand, is really struggling in the conditions and is about two weeks late.
“Yields are relatively low, in general, compared to where they could have been and, across all varieties, size is still a struggle.
“Growers have two options - they can delay harvesting until they have the yield and size they want, or they can go in early and sacrifice the crop.”
Cornish grower Treve Berryman, who is based at Pauls Green Farm in Leedstown, admits that he has faced a number of weather- and cost-related challenges but, overall, he believes this season is working out better than last year. “Fuel costs have gone through the roof, having more than doubled since last year, as has the cost of fertiliser, but those with good-quality early crops have had good returns,” he says. “This is particularly important in Cornwall, where a lot of the new potato growers also produce cauliflower, so it has given growers the chance to make back some of the money they lost in the winter.
“This season has gone better than last year because yields have been down, at about two thirds of last year’s crop, so prices have been kept higher.
“Supplies will be short for another few weeks at least but, after that, we should catch up when potatoes from the rest of the UK come on.”
UK growers have had to draw on all their resources in their bid to produce high-quality crops in the early window.
Rob Burrow, market information manager at the Potato Council, confirms that the new-season crop has had to battle unsuitable conditions, from planting through to harvest. “Wind damage to some covered fields was reported in March, when polythene was lost and some foliar damage occurred,” he says. “Frost in mid-April set the most advanced emerged crops back by from seven to 14 days. This has meant that harvest progress has been slower than usual, as crops have been recovering and have been slow to bulk to harvestable yields.
“By the end of May, estimates on yields averaged 15 tonnes per hectare, compared with 21t/ha last year. Movement was estimated at 4,000t, compared with 9,500t at the same date in 2007.”
Growers are unable to predict whether they will be able to catch up on the delay, or if the delayed crop will come on stream at the same time as product on schedule. This could cause some problems with lack of movement later in the season, which may tempt growers to reduce prices to shift product.
But the setbacks have extended the selling window for maincrop potatoes, opening up opportunities for UK growers that have been missed out on in recent years.
So far, the shortages in home-grown product have seen a high level of demand, as the trade attempts to find enough available product. “Demand has been strong for early crop supplies and, due to limited availability, prices have been firm,” says Burrow. “At the end of May, prices were averaging £530/t, ranging from £400 and £720, and up to £900/t in Scotland, compared with an average £300/t, in a range of £150-£400, and up to £500 in Scotland last year.
“Good demand is expected for early crop supplies as the season moves forward,” he adds. “Short stocks of quality 2007 maincrop and lower-than-expected imports of new potatoes, particularly from Israel, Egypt and Jersey, are encouraging interest from buyers in UK early supplies.
“Quality is good, with no problems reported so far in crops, other than the wet harvesting conditions. Prices are expected to ease as harvesting increases, and to encourage more rapid movement.”
Consumption is expected to pick up when the sun starts to shine, just as it always does, but the sector is hoping this will happen sooner rather than later.
“New potato sales rise hand-in-hand with salads when you get a nice, warm week,” says Coleman. “But consumers have started to understand that there is a British new potato season, just as there is one for asparagus and strawberries.
“There has been a reasonable switch from maincrop to new potatoes as they have become available, especially as the maincrop is tired following the effects of one of the worst harvests in living memory last summer, so new potatoes sound fresh and appealing.”
A number of promotional efforts from both the trade and the major retailers should help boost sales right through the season, with emphasis on health benefits, as well as seasonality and provenance.
The Potato Council forms the backbone of marketing activity in the sector and, this year, the trade body is set to launch a summer campaign. The Love Potatoes initiative, backed by model and TV star Nell McAndrew, financial expert Jasmine Birtle and food historian Ivan Day, will kick off by promoting the new crop, in a bid to drive wider awareness of the natural benefits of potatoes.
The most recent long-term marketing campaign co-ordinated by the organisation, formerly known as the British Potato Council, has been instrumental in raising consumer awareness of the nutritional benefits of potatoes and addressing common misconceptions.
The new activities will build on the key messages that spuds are more nutritious than rice and pasta, that they are easy to prepare, value for money and home-grown.
The campaign aims to reconnect families with potatoes as an essential meal staple that are convenient and, at a time when budgets are being stretched, reasonably priced. The activities will encourage families to get back to British basics and make the most of simple potato recipes that fit in with busy lives.
The Grow Your Own Potatoes project for 2008 is well underway, and the 10,000 participating schools will soon be harvesting their crops and holding celebratory events with the help of many local farmers.
The increased emphasis on UK new potatoes as a home-grown product that is locally available will also be harnessed by the trade this season.
The available new-season crop has been able to make the most of its British claim, as well as its provenance on a local level. The majority of new-season arrivals are stickered with Union Jack or new-season themed stickers in an effort to attract attention and promote sales.
Berryman supplied the Growfair brand, launched by Bristol Fruit Sales this year, in order to sell more potatoes at a local level. “The promotion went well and I certainly sold more potatoes, with some product going into the top restaurants in the region,” he says. “This is really what Growfair is trying to do, and it’s got to be a good thing - but we cannot sell all the potatoes that are grown in Cornwall in the area, so we have to sell our product right across the UK.”
Suppliers are working with the supermarkets to make sure the right supply situation is understood. “The retailers understand the vagaries of the weather and what it can do to supply, but it does frustrate them, as it does everyone,” says Coleman. “But if we get the quality, the availability and the value right, we should see as strong sales as ever.
“The forecasts for the next few weeks are relatively good. The crops have had plenty of moisture, so they will steam along and we should have a reasonable-quality crop, with average volumes. But if we see any sort of stress, we could have a very short crop again,” he warns.
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