The FEPEX Potato Committee, which met this week in Madrid, confirmed that this year's production will be between 15% and 20% smaller than last year. It also analyzed the prospects for the next season, in which the price of the seed will be decisive, and prepared the sector's participation in the next international meetings. With regard to the 2018 campaign, which has just come to an end, it was confirmed that the 15% to 20% fall in the production compared to 2017 was mainly due to the adverse weather conditions. The fall has been recorded in the main producing regions: Castile-Leon, Andalusia and Murcia. Regarding the 2019 campaign, the Committee said that it is not yet possible to predict the acreage or the production volume, since Andalusia, which is the earliest region, is only starting with the planting, and Castile-Leon won't start until March. However, it was pointed out that the high price of seeds will be decisive, especially for the potatoes intended for processing. It is worth noting that the seed accounts for a high share of the production cost. According to the president of this committee, Jose Ramón Aguado, the price of seeds has risen by 15-30%, and this will be one of the key factors to be taken into account for 2019. The FEPEX Potato Committee also looked into the sector's participation in the next international meetings, especially that of Europatat, the European Potato Trade Association, which defends the interests of its partners in the potato market at a European level. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com