The potato harvest has got underway in Sa Pobla and the start the export campaign to the United Kingdom.
The first Mallorcan potatoes of the year are smaller in size and production has also been reduced due to the wind in January and the frosts.
The he agricultural organisation S’Esplet SAT has begun harvesting the earliest potato varieties, which will be destined for the British market.
Expectations are better than last season, which was delayed due to the heavy rainfall during sowing.
“This year we have been able to harvest the potato early and in a good situation because in Europe there is very little potato and the price is high; even so, the balance will be determined at the end of the season because the export risk rate is very high,” said the organisation’s manager, Joan Company.
Until mid-January, potato plantations were in good condition and a good crop was predicted.
But the winds of up to 85 km/h which hit Sa Pobla on January 15 caused havoc for the plants of the earliest varieties.
“The wind is the worst adversary for potato plants, the damaged parts dry out and then become more fragile in the face of frost; and this year we have recorded 14 frosts between mid-January and mid-February, which has delayed and reduced the plants’ production”, explained Company.
Sa Pobla’s agriculture has specialised in potatoes and they are harvested very early in order to supply the British market, one of the main markets despite Brexit, along with the Scandinavia.
In figures, three years ago, 16,000 tonnes of potatoes were exported; two years ago, 14,200 tonnes, and last year, between 12,000 and 13,000, according to data recorded by SAT.