The British Potato Council (BPC) has released figures showing its total UK plantings for 2002.

The total plantings estimate has been reduced from 142,113 hectares to 138,256ha in the light of new information becoming available. This is 5.6 per cent down on the final total potato plantings for 2001, which were 146,400ha.

Revised estimates of the total commercial planted area of potatoes in the UK are made as the BPC receives new information from reliable sources.

The downward change in total plantings will affect the area breakdown by variety, with the early variety Colmo showing a 52 per cent drop in plantings, and second early variety Estima falling by 17 per cent.

However, for second earlies there was an increase of 20 per cent for Nicola – the only variety to show any expansion in planted area.

Early varieties have been decreasing year-on-year for 12 years, while maincrops are showing a modest increase.

Maris Piper accounts for 21 per cent of the total planted area of potatoes in the UK. And despite falling planted area, Estima is the second most popular, followed by Nadine.

However, none of this information gives a direct indication of total UK potato production as this depends on yield. Anecdotal evidence and initial analysis of BPC crop check weighs suggest yields in 2002 will be larger than those of 2001. But formal results will be released in November.

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