"Considerably smaller crop cause of expensive early potatoes"

The price of early potatoes is at a high level. This is according to Jaap Loogman of Amsterdam. Two weeks ago the company imported the first early potatoes from Cyprus. "The crop is about 30% smaller than previously. Frost damage, water, hail, Phytophthora. They just about had everything on the island!"

"It is a strange market. The expectation is that prices will be higher than to-day during the middle of May, whilst normally at that time the good prices will be at an end" Joop continues. "Especially when harvesting in the Netherlands and Germany is somewhat late we will have good prices during the coming weeks. But when potatoes are expensive, everybody seems to be offering potatoes all of a sudden."

"Not only the Cyprus crop is at a low level" the importer who recently visited the supplier on Cyprus mentioned, "Also from Israel, Egypt and Spain a lot less potatoes are available. Only in Portugal it appears to be going well." According to the potato wholesaler the quality of the early crop arriving in the Netherlands is first class. The fields with potatoes infected with Phytophthora are ploughed again, sorted and remain in Cyprus,. That is being controlled properly."

The retail prices are from 80 to 85 cents for Diamonds from Cyprus. 76 cents for Malta's and 65 cents for Israeli and Egyptian nicola's. Despite the good prices Joop expects, that the retail trade will quickly change to early import potatoes. The quality of the old potatoes deteriorates and it is quite easy to buy a new potato lying next to it on the shelf!"