Yields hold up as potato harvest hit by weather

THE British potato harvest looks set to be up on 2019 and in line with the average of recent years, despite the nation’s growers being faced with extremely challenging weather conditions.

According to provisional estimates from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the total harvest this year will be 5.3 million tonnes - up 2.8% on last year’s figure but just below the five-year average of 5.4 million tonnes.

The levy board’s estimate has been released during a time when growers have battled with an exceptionally wet harvest period for the second year running.

However they have fared better than last year, as on November 10 it was estimated that 2% of the planted area was yet to be lifted, compared with 11% of the crop estimated to be unlifted on November 12, 2019.

This production figure follows an AHDB estimate that the planted area this year is the third-lowest on record, behind only 2015 and 2016, with the processing sector acting as the main driving force behind the drop.

Alice Bailey, senior analyst at AHDB, said: “This overall net yield sits in line with the five-year national average (2015-2019). Anecdotal reports suggest that yields have been somewhat variable from farm to farm, even field to field. Yet overall, crops are within farm expectations so it is not surprising that the national yield is in line with recent years.

“We saw planted area drop by 2.3% this year, yet we are estimating a 2.8% rise in production. This is based on both a slight increase in yields yearon-year and the fact that a large area was left unharvested last year. The athwenna.irons@reachplc.com

unlifted area in 2019 was estimated at 6%, whereas in 2018 less than 1% was estimated to be left in the ground and we would anticipate similar this year.”

It was also noted that the estimate could be amended in the coming weeks, with 2,100 hectares still left to harvest in the East of England, and some members of the 450-strong AHDB Grower Panel still to return their survey information.

Meanwhile, the AHDB’s potatoes strategy director, Rob Clayton, said the AHDB will be launching another promotional campaign in reaction to the market conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This follows on from a similar campaign in the summer that reached five million shoppers via catch-up TV, social media and display advertising.

He added: “Since the pandemic hit we have increased the amount of data we analyse from supermarkets and other areas of the marketplace. While potato sales at retail are up by 8-9% overall – analysis from Kantar shows baking potatoes lagging behind at a rise of 3%.

“Jacket potatoes are a fantastic healthy and cost effective option for families, so we will be launching a winter campaign to inspire shoppers to take advantage of all the great things they can do with bakers.”

The AHDB will release more details on the marketing campaign in the coming weeks, Mr Clayton said.

Further information on the AHDB’s production estimate can be found at the website: https://ahdb.org.uk/ news/first-production-estimate-of5-3mt-despite-reduced-planted-area