The start of the Austrian early potato harvest is now imminent: "Apart from the storm in calendar week 18, which fortunately did not damage the early potato crops, we have had optimal, growth-promoting weather for weeks, with daytime temperatures around 15 to 16 degrees Celsius. Accordingly, the outlook is now positive, and we expect the first loose-skinned produce from Burgenland at the end of week 21," reports Florian Kugler, who works in purchasing and sales at Dorfinger KG.
Overall, there will be more early potatoes than initially expected, Kugler continues. "According to the latest data, the area under early potatoes has been expanded by 22 percent compared to last year. Thanks to optimal weather conditions and correspondingly good vegetation, we currently expect to be able to offer the first firm-skinned produce from mid-July." This is two weeks earlier than usual. To bridge the gap, French produce is now mainly being offered to retailers. "Domestic stocks have now been largely cleared, although there are still some regional remnants of waxy, old potatoes." Dorfinger has not offered Egyptian early potatoes for several years, partly for sustainability reasons. Due to the short marketing window, Spanish early potatoes are also not an option for the potato giant.
According to Kugler, the price structure for table potatoes has been quite stable since the turn of the year and has not risen significantly compared to last year. Only waxy imports from France are currently around 10 percent more expensive than the rest of the range. "The flooding in September last year made harvesting difficult and meant that certain storage varieties had to be brought forward. We had to accept wireworm infestation of up to 35-40 percent in certain loads. In addition, the storability of certain varieties was not as it should have been, so that in terms of quality, we can look back on a rather difficult year."
Onion prices through the roof
In addition to table potatoes, Dorfinger KG also procures and markets onions for consumption. Kugler: "There were many onions with limited storage life this year, so relatively more volume was exported, especially to Romania and Bulgaria. However, we at Dorfinger KG are exclusively dedicated to supplying the Austrian domestic market, which meant that we faced some major challenges in terms of procurement." Current demand remains high in relation to available quantities, which has driven prices up sharply. Nevertheless, it will be possible to supply the market for yellow onions until the start of the new harvest with stored produce of Austrian origin.
The situation is different in the red onion segment, where the domestic campaign ended in mid-April. Here, too, net harvest volumes fell short of original expectations. "We are currently relying on produce from the Netherlands and will offer this until the end of the season. However, shortages cannot be ruled out here either," says Kugler.
Lower Austria as the hub of potato and onion cultivation
The headquarters of Dorfinger KG is located in Untersiebenbrunn, in the heart of Lower Austria's Marchfeld region. The region has been considered the hub of Austrian potato and onion production for decades. "We are seeing that organic onion cultivation in particular is gaining in importance in our region. In conventional onion cultivation, the area under cultivation has remained stable in recent years, while demand has increased. For table potatoes, both the area under cultivation and demand are fairly constant." The group's product range is rounded off by garlic, some of which is grown locally. "Due to the complex and risky nature of cultivation, we expect domestic production in this segment to decline," he concludes.
For more information:
Florian Kugler
Sales & Purchasing
Dorfinger KG
Tel: +43 699 1717 9980
[email protected]
www.dorfingers.at