The days pass and become more similar, to the great despair of potato producers. Farmers scan the sky in search of the sun that would put an end to this rainy weather and low temperatures.
The Van Puymbrouck family once again had to stop their activities. She has been growing potatoes since the late 1960s. Usually, tuber plants are planted between April 10 and May 15. “We are at a standstill again because of the rain. It’s a catastrophic year”, laments Jean-Pierre Van Puybrouck. “It’s the worst year I’ve had and my father, who has 20 years of career experience than me, says the same. Already last year we finished planting on May 27 and we said to ourselves that it was the worst year.”
Regulating the price of fries and kebabs: “it’s completely ridiculous!”
Once it is in the ground, the summer must not be too dry. “As everything is delayed, this impacts our harvest. We are starting with a loss of 40%. Preserving outdoor plants is more complicated. Which has a direct impact on quantities and income”assesses the farmer.
Shortage of Belgian fries
”70 to 75% of production already has a price determined in advance. The price per tonne will remain the same and this will not compensate for the loss”, the producer is alarmed. “We can always find solutions but it will pose big problems for us.”
Producers “are accumulating problems this year, even those who started early, the plant did nothing good with water and temperatures that were too low,” laments the agronomist. “If we want a correct harvest, we no longer have room for error, it must be neither too hot, nor too cold, nor too dry, nor too wet, within the four month period that we have left”, indicates Pierre Lebrun, agronomist engineer within Fiwap, the Walloon potato industry.
Farmers produce at a loss: “If we count our hours, we work for 4 euros/hour”
Are we heading towards a shortage of fries? Not quite. “Germany planted earlier than us. We have to see how things evolve because we are fully dependent on the climate. We export a lot to other countries. If things don’t go well, we will source our supplies from America and Canada.”, details Jean-Pierre Van Puymbrouck. “There is no risk of shortage but there will be a reduction in the available quantity of fries.”
