Poor harvest of potatoes expected

The production 2013 will be one of the lowest, below the average.

Producers and members of Swisspatat estimated that the harvest 2013 of potatoes will reach 341,197 tons, less than the output of 2012 (446,963 tons), and below the average of the last five years (475,472 tons).

The wet and cold spring and the days of strong heat in August have had certain impact. The quality is good and the sizes rather small. But if the weather conditions are good in autumn, the late varieties will continue to grow and could offer the best sizes.

The yield on the surface will be about 262 kg of edible portion per acre (-32% compared to the average of 5 years) in conventional production, up to 187kg of edible portion per acre (-19.4% compared to he average of 5 years) in organic production.

source : kartoffel ch