In mid-October, the amount of food potatoes in storage was 225 million kilos, an increase of 33.6 million kilos on last autumn. This is the second time that Tike (The Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) has gathered statistics on the amount of potatoes in the food potato storages of farms.

Food potato stocks saw year-on-year growth due to the increase in the production area and the good crop yield, and because the potatoes in storage from the previous year lasted until August.

Food potato storage survey targets potato farms larger than two hectares
Farms cultivating food and processed food potatoes and their production areas were sourced from the Rural Business Register, which indicates that 4,262 farms cultivated food and processed food potatoes on an area of 14,900 hectares in 2009.

In mid-October, the food potato storage survey was targeted at farms cultivating food and processed food potatoes on an area of more than two hectares. Small-scale production was left outside the scope of the survey. The Åland Islands were also excluded from the survey, as their potato production favours potatoes used in French fry production rather than food potatoes.

Farms cultivating more than two hectares numbered 897. They grew food and processed food potatoes on a total of 13,532 hectares. The bulk of this area, 10,392 hectares, was under food potatoes.

400 farms were sampled for the food potato storage survey. The farms included in the survey cultivated food and processed food potatoes on 8,705 hectares. Of these farms, 84 per cent responded (86% of the surveyed area under potatoes).

Cultivated area shifts from starch production to food potatoes
The cultivated area under food and processed food potatoes grew by 636 hectares, or 5 per cent, compared to 2008; the greatest increase was seen in the territories of the Employment and Economic Development Centres (T&E Centres) of Ostrobothnia and Southern Ostrobothnia. In Ostrobothnia, the area under food potatoes saw the highest year-on-year growth, up 278 hectares. The area under starch potatoes declined and the cultivated area of food and processed food potatoes grew in the areas of the T&E Centres of Satakunta and Southern Ostrobothnia in particular. The greatest decrease in food potato cultivation was seen in the territories of the T&E Centres of Pirkanmaa and Uusimaa.

Good crop yields in all of Finland
The past growing season was favourable for potato production. The crop yield averaged 31 tonnes per hectare, a substantial improvement on 2008, when the crop yield was only 27 tonnes per hectare. Northern Ostrobothnia, one of the major potato production regions, suffered from rain last year, but its crop yield rose to 33 tonnes per hectare this year. According to Tike’s harvest statistics, the food potato harvest amounted to 274 million kilos and the processed food potato harvest to 910 million kilos in 2008. The advance harvest estimate for 2009 will be published on 24 November 2009. The final harvest statistics will be released on 28 January 2010.

Nicola and Van Gogh are the most popular varieties
54 food potato varieties were cultivated. The most cultivated varieties were Nicola (2,270 ha) and Van Gogh (1,742 ha). They accounted for 27 per cent of the area under food and processed food potatoes.

For additional information
Actuary Anna-Kaisa Jaakkonen, Tike, tel. +358 20 77 21 374,
E-mail addresses are in the format firstname.surname@mmmtike.fi