High waste could boost potato prices – FWi PREVIEW OF
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- 01 January 1998 https://www.fwi.co.uk More in News High waste could boost potato prices – FWi PREVIEW OF - 01 January 1998 >More in News
31 December, 1997By FW reporters
POTATO growers will start the new yearwith the prospect of higher prices than last season. But then again,they couldnt be much lower.
Ex-farm average values edged up duringDecember to £75/ t. Although 41% higher than 1996, this is afar cry from two seasons ago when spuds were typically changing hands at£165/ t.
But the likelihood of over-supply will be easedduring the first few months of 1998, with grading-out diverting as muchas 20% of some packing samples for multiples into dumps or stock
feedtroughs.
This should help keep values above year-earlier levels,although a mild spring and with it the early arrival of new-cropvarieties could put prices under pressure.
Quality issues are behindthe big price variations and British Potato Council figures rangebetween £25 and £160/ t. But any rise in the upperceiling will be limited by the potential of
imports.
Once again, thebest crops in environmentally-controlled buildings will be a world awayfrom the poorer ones in ambient stores.
But cashflow considerationsmay bring more samples on to the market early, with mixed farmers facinglower returns from lamb, beef and arable enterprises.
While wastageis currently high, this should fall as growers who have already sold thebottom end of the quality spectrum are left with their better samples.
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