Start of sowing of early potatoes in Andalusia

The province of Seville leads the Andalusian initiative for early new potato planting. The municipality La Rinconada stood out with about 1,600 hectares dedicated to this production. 

 

Despite the optimism of farmers about the new production season, the concern about the drought and the decrease in well levels is evident. A local farmer acknowledges that they are "worried about the drought because there is little rain and well levels are dropping". He also notes that water quality is worsening. Despite these challenges, they are confident that the "optimization of resources" will allow them to offer a quality product to the market.

 

Adapting to market demands is crucial, especially in the case of potatoes destined for export, where varieties, planting times and planting frames are adjusted to meet consumer requirements. In the Belgian market, the search is focused on smaller and more homogeneous sizes, which influences planting conditions.

 

As for the 2023 early season, it starts with the hope of overcoming the challenges of the previous year. In the early areas of Cartagena and Western Andalusia, production suffered a significant reduction due to drought and irrigation restrictions. Although the planted area exceeded 10,500 hectares, productivity was less than 20,000 kilos per hectare in many cases, representing a decrease of 25 to 35%.