Extreme weather hits potato processors in the UK for the second year in a row

Recently published figures from AHDB Potatoes confirm that, despite the wettest harvest year since 2012 and the third worst autumn on record, GB growers were able to successfully battle through and lift up to 89% of the 2019 potato harvest.
 
However, whilst the AHDB headline appears positive, the picture is very different across potato sectors and regions.
 
GB potato processors and their growers remain extremely concerned. Since the report’s publication on 15 November weather conditions have worsened, with much of the remaining crop still in field and not be able to be lifted.
 
A further concern for GB potato processors is that several varieties which are grown specifically for processing are typically late harvested, to allow for the potatoes to bulk.
 
Potato tuber bulking in field is usually the longest stage in potato growth. It extends from 8 to 14 weeks after planting (5 to 11 weeks after emergence) for early-season varieties and is longer for later season varieties.
 
Many later season processing varieties, intended for storage and use over the winter, were still in field bulking when the poor weather started, meaning that growers didn’t get the chance to even begin their harvest and these potatoes remain in the field.
AHDB reports that for the North West only 67% of the regional potato area had been lifted by 12 November.
 
For Yorkshire (which in October received 175% of ‘normal’ rainfall) a staggering 21% of the harvest has yet to be lifted.
 
These are exactly the regions where these late harvest processing varieties are being grown, and as a result the GB processing sector is expected to be disproportionately affected.
 
Concern is also mounting around the quality of the potatoes going into storage. Harvesting under wet conditions with heavy soil contamination (as in Yorkshire) will usually increase the risk of damage at harvest and crop loss in store. Whilst there are limited reports of rot or disease in store it remains a real threat to the sector and could significantly disrupt supply.
 
The threat to the 2019 harvest is compounded by the fact that 2018 was one of the worst GB potato harvests in recent years, with volumes significantly lower than average and processors noting a direct impact on the quality of available raw materials.