Potato production has dramatically decreased in Czech Republic and Poland and has increased in Ukraine

According to information of ebronisze.pl with the reference to the data of the official statistics, the preliminary volume of potato production in 2006 is around 9 mln. tons in Poland. This figure is 15% less than a year ago. And, potato production has declined 34% in Czech Republic. At the present moment the wholesale prices for potato exceed 40% the past year level in Poland; potato costs around $0.2-0.23/kg.

Polish sources inform that the quality of potato is very low. Potato is sensitive to diseases, it is poorly stored. The storage losses can be higher than usual.

According to the tentative estimations, around 20.8 mln. tons of potato have been harvested in Ukraine this year. So, our country is likely to be the largest grower of this product in Europe. The harvest is approximately 7% larger than a year ago despite of the decreased yield in some regions of Central, Southern and Eastern Ukraine. The production growth has already resulted in that fact that potato is 30-40% cheaper now than in November 2005. The prices on the wholesale markets of the western regions of Ukraine are comparable to the wholesale potato prices in Poland.

It is worth mentioning that all producers interested in the opportunities to grow potato will be able to receive valuable information about new technologies of potato production, and new options to sell this product. They can have this advantage during the third international conference "Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine 2006. Open Market". "Agromark UK" company, Ukrainian-Dutch supplier of high-quality seed potato, and "Agro-Zakhid" company, a large buyer of high-quality potato will dedicate their presentations to potato. The representatives of Craft Foods Ukraine, the largest company - potato processor in Ukraine, as well as other potato suppliers and consumers will participate in the conference too.

Source:lol.org.ua