The potatoes are industrial potatoes used for products like frozen French fries and often exported, but up to one-third of Belgian industrial potatoes are sold on the free market to large producers, and that market is now stagnant. Competition in the export market has become tougher, with China and India emerging as producers of French fries, exacerbating the glut. Farmers were asked by the French fries industry several years ago to experiment with new potato varieties, but the result was poorer quality, leading to decreased demand.
Last year, many Belgian farmers had good harvests, contributing to the large surplus. According to SVT Nyheter, Marlutje Jackers described the potatoes as worthless and questioned what to do with them now. It can be costly for farmers to clear out storage of unsellable potatoes; alternatives include using the potatoes as animal feed or taking the surplus to a biogas plant, but these are expensive processes.
Of course it means a loss of income.
According to SVT Nyheter, Emmanuel Legrand described the situation as a loss of income. It remains unclear what specific measures, if any, are being taken by Belgian authorities or industry groups to address the potato surplus and support farmers, and how many farmers are affected by the potato surplus and the total volume of unsellable potatoes across Belgium. Whether there are any plans to export the surplus potatoes to other markets or use them for humanitarian aid is also unknown.
The potatoes are worthless. What should I do with them now?