The new potato season is halfway through in Spain and has been marked, as usual, by water. However, this time the issue has been the abundant rainfall, rather than drought, as was the case in 2024. There are six weeks left of harvesting in which crops from Murcia, Valencia and Seville will hit the market and compete also with third country productions.
Joaquín Córdoba, Director of Patatas Córdoba, says: "Now we are harvesting the Soprano and Colomba varieties, which are suitable for all uses, and next week we'll start with the Agria, which is a special potato for frying. We expect to finish around June 15. We are harvesting high quality potatoes, but fewer kilos due to the rains."
"This season has been marked by the rains in Andalusia, with many days of cloudy skies and cold temperatures." As for the impact of this weather on the potatoes, "The quality is good, but we are getting smaller sizes."
"Another of the problems growers have had to face has been the spread of mildew, which proliferates when conditions are wetter than normal. As a result, the harvest is somewhat smaller, and in some parts of Andalusia, they have lost it all," he says.
As far as Murcia is concerned, "excessive rainfall has facilitated the appearance of Alternaria, and volumes have dropped as a result. We have smaller tubers and we are harvesting fewer kilos per hectare, although quality is still good," says Córdoba.
It'd be logical to think that this lack of kilos of national potatoes would push prices up; however, there is a key factor keeping them down: "the excess of potatoes from third countries, mainly Egypt and Israel, from April onwards, which is when the domestic season begins," says Córdoba.
"Our market can absorb French potatoes because France also absorbs Spanish potatoes, but allowing Egypt and Israel to bring imbalance to prices and to the European Union market is a mistake," he warns. "Egyptian and Israeli potatoes are good to have from February to April, but by May, their presence does a lot of damage. At this time of year, Egyptian potatoes don't look new; they were harvested a month ago, and when they arrive, they are practically germinating. That's why they are sold at low prices, causing national prices to fall, too."
"Now, in mid-May, washed new potatoes of domestic origin have already started to become available in some supermarkets," says the Director.
For more information:
Joaquín Córdoba
Cordoba Potatoes
Tel.: +34 619 23 72 47
[email protected]
www.patatascordoba.com