Photo: Lindi Botha
Potato producers in Limpopo were severely affected by black frost during the past winter, leading to widespread damage to potato crops.
Willie Jacobs, CEO of Potatoes SA, stated that during a survey among their members in Limpopo, it was found that potatoes were in different growing stages when the frost occurred, which meant that it was unlikely that entire harvests were ruined.
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The survey suggested that 3 674ha were affected by the frost in Limpopo, with a possibility of an average of 32% yield loss. A broader survey among members across the country however showed that there could be 3% less potatoes than the five-year average nationwide, meaning that South Africa was far from experiencing a potato shortage.
Jacobs said that the frost was likely to have a bigger effect on the size of potatoes rather than on volumes.
“Based on our data and knowledge, we expect fewer extra-large and large potatoes and more medium and small potatoes for the period of September and October in Limpopo.”
The annual potato crop is however up year-on-year. Currently the market has received 208 000 10kg bags more for the first 34 weeks of the year, compared to the same period last year.
According to Johnny van der Merwe, managing director of AMT, potatoes were trading at R87,82/10kg bag at the end of August. This is up from the R71,63/10kg bag achieved in August 2023. He noted that the average price for August 2024 was overall higher than the preceding four years.
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CT van der Merwe, CEO of Al3 Boerdery in Limpopo, told Farmer’s Weekly that potato prices were generally higher this time of year since it was likely that producers would have experienced some frost during the winter.
“It’s not abnormal to see potato price increases in spring.”
He confirmed that rumours were doing the rounds that the purported shortage could lead to prices in excess of R200/10kg, but said it was impossible to predict if these prices would actually be achieved on the market.
He however noted that Free State producers had already started filling gaps in the potato supply, making up for any shortfall from Limpopo.
