DROUGHT BAKES POTATO FIELDS, SLICES FRY SUPPLY

Belgium’s famed chip stalls are facing a shortage of potatoes after weeks of blazing temperatures left them shrivelled in the fields. The drought has left about a third of the early potato crop unfit to make frites, Belgium’s national dish.

Despite showers this week, the crucial September and October harvests could be even smaller without more sustained rainfall soon.

Extreme temperatures and dry weather reduce the yield and size of potatoes, and make their skins rougher. If they are too tough, they cannot be processed by chip manufacturers’ peeling machines. Prices of the bintje potato, the variety preferred by makers of frites, have shot up. Chip stall owners fear customers may desert them if the cheap snack becomes too expensive.