early potatoes

Data from Spanish fresh produce association Fepex has revealed that the country's potato imports climbed by 117.9 per cent in value terms the for January-May period, up to €141m.

According to Fepex, the rise in value came despite lower volumes, down 2 per cent year-on-year to 389,731 tonnes.

In May alone, import value totaled €22m, growth of 131 per cent on the same month of 2012, while volumes slipped 10.3 per cent to 58,259 tonnes.

'For Fepex the evolution of imports reflects the need to implement measures to improve the competitiveness of the sector, including correcting distortions and competitive disadvantages that the common agricultural policy (CAP) is causing Spanish sector, excluding direct payments that are received by producers of major EU countries,' the group noted.

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