The Salamanca potato season is starting with a delay of between four and six weeks due to the rains recorded at the time of sowing. On top of that, there is an overlap with other European productions, such as French potatoes, which have been exposed to more heat than usual, causing their campaign to be extended.
"The season has been delayed by at least a month because it rained a lot at the time of sowing. In addition, our production is between 8% and 10% lower than last year, and the potatoes are smaller in size and have less dry matter. In short, we are facing a month's delay, fewer kilos, and overlapping with French potatoes," says Manuel Aires, quality and field control technician at Floyma.
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"We have started between four and six weeks later because of the heavy rains during the sowing, when we had up to eight or ten consecutive days of rainfall. We should have started harvesting in July, and we are starting now."
This season, according to Aires, there is "a problem of overproduction in France and in Europe in general, and it doesn't help that the Spanish market is open to potatoes from third countries."
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The technician said: "Due to climate change, French potatoes for storage have been arriving as late as June and have been sold in Spain at bottom-low prices. Their production has been overlapping with our new potatoes. I believe they have an interprofessional organization with a lot of support from public bodies. When it's brought here, we can't compete with such low prices."
"We have specialized in potatoes for processing because the type of soil we have here doesn't give the product's skin the kind of shine that we are used to seeing in potatoes sold in supermarkets. However, potatoes from Salamanca and Ávila are highly appreciated by the industry," says the manager.
As far as EU customs controls are concerned, the technician says: "We boast about having the best foods here, but this only applies to our own produce. What comes in from outside our borders contains phytosanitary products that have been banned here for a long time, and workers' rights don't seem the same either. The EU should demand the same requirements from them as it does from us and not allow products to enter European markets before due inspections."
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He stressed the need to make agriculture a sustainable activity. To do this, "we analyze the plots' soil, we recommend the most suitable fertilizers depending on the varieties grown and the type of stratum, we carry out satellite controls for weekly irrigation, and we monitor the presence of mildew," he says.
"In order not to depend on manual labor, we've had to introduce modern technology. Everything is mechanized because it's hard to find people willing to work in the fields anymore. You can maybe find a few crews to pick potatoes, but there's nobody for the more technical jobs. I think the agricultural sector is facing many challenges, but one of the main ones is that there are no people willing to work in it," says Aires.
Floyma is devoted to the cultivation and marketing of around 25 million kilos of industrial potatoes per season in Salamanca.
For more information:
Manuel Aires
Floyma
Tel.: +34 679 15 25 10
[email protected]
www.patatasfloyma.es