The wet weather and correspondingly difficult harvesting conditions have considerably delayed this year's potato harvest in the Magdeburger Börde. "October was wetter than ever before, which is why we are lagging behind somewhat. As a result, there are still around 30 hectares in the ground on our farm that still need to be harvested," says Dr. Almuth von Bodenhausen, Managing Director of Kartoffelaufbereitungs- und Handels GbR.

The quality of the crops in the field is still good. "So far, there are no problems with rot or anything like that. But if there is an acute cold front with frost, we would have a problem," says Dr von Bodenhausen. Despite the difficult harvest conditions this year, the initial yield forecasts are extremely satisfactory. "In previous years, we have always suffered from drought in the summer, but we have been spared this year. The yield in our growing region has been quite satisfactory so far. Only in the last three to four weeks are we really struggling. Overall, the shelf life of the produce is good, but some varieties have a very high germination rate. There are also varieties that have a high proportion of oversized seeds."

Meanwhile, the marketing situation is relatively stable, the producer and trader continues. Kartoffelaufbereitungs- und Handels GbR in the heart of Magdeburger Börde buys, stores and markets table potatoes from local agricultural contract partners and is primarily dedicated to supplying regional packing plants. "By and large, regional marketing works the way we want it to. We also supply goods to Bavaria." In the longer term, regionality is the trend: "We supply some regional grocery shops directly with 2.5kg paper bags. This concept has been very well received and we see a certain basic demand."

Trend towards industrial potatoes
The Magdeburger Börde is one of the most important potato-growing regions in eastern Germany. However, as in many other growing regions, table potato cultivation is also coming under increasing pressure here. "The area under cultivation on our farm has remained relatively constant in recent years. However, we are now considering reducing the area, as we have realised how difficult it is when moisture affects cultivation. I also have the impression that the trend in the Börde is moving away from table potatoes towards industrial potatoes."

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com