“Always a two -digit ascent”
The 2025 season is fully launched since the planting campaign ends. But, for some farmers, it will be necessary to plant less than expected. The industry has noted in the downstream sector that the production should be reduced by 10 to 20 % while contracts were signed. For farmers, the shortfall will be significant. And for Belpotato, the interprofessional organization of the potato in Belgium is “unacceptable”. An actor in the sector notes: “In recent years, it has always been a two -digit ascent. There, there is a regression and the industry is afraid. ” Over the past five years, Belgian production has varied between 4 and 4.4 million tonnes of cultivated potatoes over about 100,000 hectares.
As Pierre Lebrun (Belpotato) confirms, the Belgian potato is mainly intended for export. “”We transform more than 80 % of Belgian production into fries, chips … “ About half is exported to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the United States and South America. For Pierre Lebrun, the timing imposed by industry “is not normal when a farmer has everything planned. At the base, he recallsthere are loyal practice rules that are not respected. “ And he confirms that farmers have little “d’alternatives” To replace the potato during this period of the season.
Mouscron: Croky chips invest in a new production unit
The fried market is played international
For an active interlocutor between industry and farmers, the current market is actually at most bad. Producers have two possibilities in their relationship with the buyer: contracts offering fixed and guaranteed prices but which seem to be called into question. Or a free market on which prices fluctuate. “”6 weeks ago, we were still 300 € per tonne. We fell at 100 €… there are almost no markets “explains a producer. For the sector, reluctance is explained by the global context. “”Global fried trade involves international relationsanalysis Pierre Lebrun. We depend on the large -scale maritime transport, customs duties … We feel that manufacturers are currently very cautious in immediate developments. The price of the fried has increased in recent years but there is increasingly sensitive competition with countries that transform the potato. China and India are increasingly nibble on market share in their region. And, at the international level, there are also health barriers linked to viruses and bacteria and which constitute obstacles in international trade. “
