Teagasc has confirmed, to all intents and purposes, the 2024 main crop potato harvest is done and dusted.
The dry weather and excellent ground conditions of recent weeks have allowed potato growers to get on with their harvesting operations in a totally unhindered manner.
“There may be some small areas of late planted crops still to be dug, but in overall terms, the harvest is now complete,” Teagasc potato specialist, Shay Phelan said.
“Growers are reporting yields to be back between 10 to 15%, year-on-year. We won’t know the official yield figures until Bord Bia go public with them in a week or so,” he added.
While 2024 yields are back, countering this trend, is the fact that the area of potatoes grown in Ireland during 2024 is up by roughly 1,000ha year-on-year.
“Growers are also confirming that potato quality is also excellent – waste levels are also extremely low. Taking all of these factors together, means that markets should respond accordingly.
“Prices may not reach the heights of 2023. However, potato growers should still get a realistic return for their crops,” Phelan continued.
Main crop potato harvest
Turning to blight, the Teagasc representative confirmed that disease pressure was high during the months of June and July.
“Weather conditions improved during August and September, with the result that blight pressure eased at that time.
“However, there is clear evidence to confirm that blight was an issue on those farms where spraying programmes were not implemented in full,” he said.
Blight control will be one of the issues addressed in detail and the 2024 National Potato Conference, which takes place on Thursday of this week (November 21).
The event will be co-hosted by Teagasc, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and Bord Bia.
Other issues to be profiled at the event are an assessment of current potato consumption trends in Ireland and the future sourcing of seed potatoes.
The conference theme is: ‘Potatoes – looking to the future’. The event will take place at the City North Hotel, Gormanston, Co. Meath.
Meanwhile, IFA national potato committee chair, Sean Ryan, has confirmed that the organisation is in the throes of meeting Irish food retailers.
“This process will continue over the coming weeks. Our aim is to secure the best possible prices for Irish potato growers at all times,” he said.