Decline in volume for the Belgian potato industry

The negative effects of the pandemic affected the 2020 results of the potato sector in Belgium, where the volume is down by 4% compared to 2019.

 

 

Belgapom, the organization representing trading and processing in Belgium, announced that the sector in 2020 processed 5.08 million tonnes of potatoes, down by 4% from the 5.43 million tonnes processed in 2019.

 

 

The production of the frozen French fries segment fell by almost 100,000 tonnes (from 2.3 million tonnes to 2.13 million tonnes), or 4.5%. The impact on the production of chilled French fries is 66,000 tonnes (-18.7%). In other products (mashed products, crisps, flakes, etc.), the decline was 11,000 tonnes (from 684,000 tonnes to 671,000 tonnes), or 2%.

 

 

According to Belgapom, the sector has successfully taken up the challenge of banning the anti-germinative CIPC, by implementing natural means (mint or orange oil, ethylene, etc.) for the conservation of potatoes. A significant technical advance compared to the rest of the world.

 

 

In Belgium, the potato sector, driven by global demand, has experienced continuous growth in recent years, illustrated by the figures for the potato processing industry which rose from 500,000 tonnes in 1995 to 5.43 million tonnes in 2019.