No potato shortage in SA

POTATOES SA has smashed rumours that there would be a short supply of the country’s favourite tuber over the next few months.

Last week, the industry body, operating from Potato House in Pretoria, said supply remained stable and reports of shortages and excessively high prices were “over exaggerated” and unlikely to materialise.

Instead of shortages, it predicted the size of potatoes on the market were likely to be affected due to problems in Limpopo.

“While the market is currently experiencing a decline in supply, volumes are not drastically lower when compared to the same period over the last few years. Frost was widely reported in Limpopo during the winter months of 2024, resulting in limited growth of potatoes.

“A Potatoes SA survey, done among potato producers in Limpopo, however, shows that potatoes were in different growth stages when the frost occurred, which meant that not all potato plantings were ruined,” said Willie Jacobs the chief executive of Potatoes SA.

Earlier this week, a report on FreshPlaza, a global trade media platform for the fresh produce industry, indicated that the country might run low on spuds. It said that due to the problems in Limpopo, a 10kg bag of potatoes could cost as much as R200.

However, while it might not be as cheap as chips, Potatoes SA said such a massive increase was not possible.

Jacobs said that while it was difficult to quantify the yields lost, data indicated that 3674 hectares were affected in Limpopo, with a possible average yield loss of 32%. He said this was likely to translate into a 3% reduction in potato supply from the five-year average nationwide.

Jacobs said their data showed the loss of yield would be greater in terms of tuber size.

“We expect fewer extra-large and large potatoes and more medium and small potatoes for the period of September and October in Limpopo,” said Jacobs.

He said overall potato supplies were higher for 2024, compared to last year and the market received 208 000 10kg bags more than this time last year.

“The average price for the first 34 weeks of 2024 was R2.22 lower than the 2023 price for the first 34 weeks of the year. Producers are currently working to close the gap in potato supply, with growing regions across South Africa stepping in to ensure supplies remain stable,” said Jacobs.

South Africans can get up to date information on the potato industry by downloading the Potatoes SA app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The concern about potato availability follows the poultry industry’s warning that egg supplies might be erratic at times as farmers rebuild their stocks following last year’s avian flu outbreak that led to stock-outs and restrictions on the amount of eggs that consumers could buy.