potato price

richard hammond

Member
BASIS
But there is a commercial price stabiliser available. Look at post 1416 - though I see Spud has liked your post. Contracts are available at slightly different odds to the casino that is non contract growing. Why do you hope our customers go hungry? I am always grateful that Western Power are out in all weathers mending outages and do not say 'let Joe Public go cold and dark - that'll teach 'em'. But as the they say 'each to their own'. Hey ho.
My electricity costs do not vary upto 10 fold year on year so I do expect a service from my supplier!
 

Iben

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Fife
Contracts are good where they are available, plenty growers up this way with pre pack contracts that are very happy this year!

Seed is predominantly fixed price contracts, although there are very few processing contracts available up here.

Seed and pre pack contracts are fine as long as you can consistently hit the yield and quality standards, otherwise it can become very expensive. Especially if you have to buy off the free market to fulfill your contract in a year when free buy is £100t higher than contract price.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
My electricity costs do not vary upto 10 fold year on year so I do expect a service from my supplier!

OK. Not wishing to pick a fight so am not having a go but just saying as an alternative that a potato grower to an extent elects to take a potential 10 fold year on year price risk as they can elect for contract prices for all or part of their production. The risk versus reward is an individual growers choice. Chip shop frying sector probably the last sector where contracts being introduced. I appreciate the faults with contracts but on balance they are there.

I seem to recall the PMB denaturing buying in price was never that special, barely if at all covered growing costs and was quite happily seen away by spud men in the 1980's. Potatoes have a classic elasticity of supply relationship and thus variable price profile.

Anyway as last year when prices high there will be a wide range of individual business performance this year as well.
 

agri1

New Member
Hi I am looking for some chipping potatoes for a small order 4-6 ton a week preferably agria Miranda or markies and very good quality and fry , they will be ok in big bags if it’s cuts costs as long as they can be filled damage free . Thanks . Pm
 

Iben

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Fife
Hi I am looking for some chipping potatoes for a small order 4-6 ton a week preferably agria Miranda or markies and very good quality and fry , they will be ok in big bags if it’s cuts costs as long as they can be filled damage free . Thanks . Pm

Not my market, but a location would help others.
 
You want to speak to Crowland Potatoes or Isle Of Ely. They do volumes into Ireland north and south, unless you can source direct from farm and get space on a wagon. We only load fridge wagons to Ireland now as the spuds need a little more insulation than a curtain sider offers.

Markies will probably give you the most consistent fry colour. Big bags shouldn't be an issue for anyone with a swift lift elevator. We have done it before and got on OK loading tonne bags.

Hope that helps!
 

Colin

Member
Location
Perthshire
The removal of quotas and grower pool funds to buy excess off the market has created a boom/bust market like pigs.

A grower fund would be helpful, it would still have to be priced below cost of production to stop people growing extra just for that fund.

Not sure who will contribute to it though? People growing on priced contracts will rightly say it's not there problem!
It should be like carrot job, only a tiny amount of stuff grown without a defined market. Grow only the varieties they want, build relationships. Best thing we could do is spend the money on promotion NOT on a bail out fund, or how to grow more tonnes.
 

Trying

Member
Where are frying potato prices now? Think I’m too cheap, with the amount of orders I’m getting. I’m £110 on Sagitta,piper and Agria.

As u know I’m all done. But from what I’m hearing on one hand I would say u need another tenner and on the other there’s big grower out there just getting 80. So maybe a bird in the hand.
 

riverside2

Member
Location
Shropshire
Gap between the best and worst appears to be widening. Prices on the West are generally £80-90, maybe £100-110 for best Agria. Merchants on the East tell me that generally the range is £100-120 with £130-140 for best gear although I was hearing one of the big players asking £160 last week.

A recurring theme does appear to be that waste levels are higher everywhere and with delays in planting there may be a bit more pressure on the job at the very end than expected. Factories are all banking on old crop for their week 1 programmes.

The battle is going to be getting the bag trade buyers to take the 'right' price when new season material is on the market. Was in a midlands chippy the other day and got chatting - owner was paying £5 delivered for a nice sample, and when I suggested it needed to be more as the growers were only getting £2-£2.50 of that he just said that it made up for him paying £15 the previous season. I suggested an average season would be good where the grower got a level £4 ex through the season and he paid £6.50-£7 delivered. He said that was way too much, if he can buy at £5 this year then he might consider £6 but that would be his lot......................
 

JCfarmer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
warks
Hi potato growers could I ask what would you say your gross margin figure would be for main crop potatoes on a 5 year average?(I realise the price is crap this year) I don't grow them now and not thinking of growing them any time soon but have to put a claim in for a utility company and they want a gross margin figure. Advice much appreciated. I have looked in the John Nix book. Would you include casual labour in the gross margin as they do? Pm if you like, many thanks
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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