Belgian potato producers sell cheap to clear surplus

Potato farmers in Belgium are giving away their produce at knock-down prices to avoid losses after being faced with a surplus that has saturated the market this summer.

Several producers in Wallonia have organised pick-your-own events in recent weeks to encourage consumers to clear this year's vast harvest

At one event in mid-August, residents of Gaurain-Ramecroix, a village near Tournai, picked anywhere between 20kg and 130kg of potatoes at reduced prices to avoid food waste.

“They’re up to three times cheaper than in the supermarket, they’re better quality and they keep well, so it’s a great idea,” one satisfied customer, Marie-Christine, told RTBF.

This event was launched by local farmers Antoine Van Wynsberghe and his wife Anaïs Bruneau. They decided on the initiative following an exceptionally good year for potato production, but which led to a 50-tonne surplus impossible to sell to wholesalers, resulting in what they described as “a huge economic loss”.

“This is the first time we’ve organised a pick-your-own event in our field, because this year, the potato market is really disastrous,” Van Wynsberghe told RTBF, adding that the glut of potatoes could not just be given to the cows.

“The factories are no longer buying potatoes. So, we were left with a large quantity that we couldn't sell directly to the distributor we have on the farm.

“So, we decided to organise a potato-picking event and open it up to the public. It's an opportunity for farmers like us to avoid wasting and throwing away their produce and so saving themselves from a significant financial loss.”

In short, this harvest day is not only good for individuals, but it also benefits producers. The potatoes are priced at €0.30 per kilo, almost three times cheaper than the shop price.

“We set the price at what we could sell the potatoes for last year, a decent rate - equivalent to €300 per tonne. Currently, when we manage to sell potatoes to industry, we get substantially less,” explains Antoine.

“Customers benefit from it and so do we. We save on labour costs, mainly because there is no packaging involved.”

The initiative was a success. People turned out in force and Van Wynsberghe’s goal of selling at least 10 tonnes of potatoes in one morning was easily achieved.

In the light of these results, and the number of potatoes still left over, other farmers in the region are planning pick-your-own events in the coming weeks.