According to Paul Zammit, Manager of the Malta Potato Exports Cooperative Ltd (Malpo Coop), speaking to Freshplaza.com, it has been a bad year for Malta's early potato crop due to unfavourable weather conditions. "The yield was disastrous, a complete failure." said Zammit.

For the main crop, the Alfa, "It has been fine, but there has been a considerable drop in the seeding per hectare, so there won't be large volumes this year and the season will be shorter closing before May 20," he added. 

Compared to last season, the drop in the volume for the early varieties (Santé and Derby) exceeds 65% of the remaining early production. It was fair in quality and was exported to the Netherlands, supplied to a wholesaler such as Jansen Dongen.

Regarding Alfa potatoes, shipments have only just started and they will hit the shelves shortly. "A small volume has already reached the Dutch market, and from this week onwards there will already be a considerable amount. The seeding was done in November, earlier than usual, and although winter temperatures were cold, the plants were not harmed," explained Zammit.

In terms of volume, Paul says that "Last year, Malta as a whole exported a total of 250 26 tonne containers of Alfa potatoes. Yet,  this season, the export volumes, which will peak within ten days, will be at least 50% lower than in the previous campaign." 
 
Prices will be hard to predict since it will depend on the volume of old potatoes in storage in countries like the Netherlands, France or Belgium.  "Demand, in any case, is not as high as it used to be, and we also face other issues, such as the difficulty in competing with Egypt, and the fact that the land is highly divided," Zammit concluded.