{"id":21155,"date":"2024-08-30T09:54:06","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T09:54:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.selinawamucii.com\/news\/?p=21155"},"modified":"2024-08-30T09:54:09","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T09:54:09","slug":"potato-supply-in-south-africa-almost-stable-despite-price-spike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.selinawamucii.com\/news\/2024\/08\/30\/potato-supply-in-south-africa-almost-stable-despite-price-spike\/","title":{"rendered":"Potato supply in South Africa almost stable despite price spike"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Africa is at a potato supply crossroads after a late July 2024 frost affected the keynote Limpopo crop. Despite a followup\u00a0price<\/u>\u00a0<\/a><\/em>rally as a result, insiders believe this could affect national reserves by only a minor margin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a survey report by Potatoes SA, 2024 reserves will end up being just 3% less<\/u><\/a> than the 2019-23 average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means up to 7.4 million ten-kilogram bag losses,  equal to 3% of South Africa\u2019s annual potato harvest. Potatoes SA\u2019s CEO Willie Jacobs underlined that the frost in Limpopo could lead to 32% losses<\/u><\/a> in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The body\u2019s survey indicated that some 3,674 hectares suffered the late southern winter frost. However, as the frost hit a crop in diverse growth stages, its effect will eventually be on size rather than volumes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, customers could soon find themselves choosing small or large tubers, whose prices will be far apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low Potato Supply Edges Prices<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, weekly prices have been rallying following the frost damage reports in Limpopo, which produces 20%<\/u><\/a> of the national crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 28, 2024, prices climbed by 15%<\/u><\/a> to 85.31 Rand ($4.82) per 10 kg against 74.24 Rand ($4.20) a week earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By August 29, 2024, the price had touched the 87.82-Rand ($4.96) per 10 kg mark. This was up from 71.63 Rand ($4.05) in the corresponding late August 2023 period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data visualization by Potatoes SA<\/u><\/a> shows that 2024 prices have been generally lower between mid-April and mid-July than their 2023 counterparts. Nevertheless, they have since overtaken 2023 prices beginning mid-July through August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potato supply in the initial 34 weeks of 2024 has also been relatively lower by 5,143,677 10-kg bags than the 2018-2023 average.  For this reason, 2024\u2019s average weekly price have been more or less above the 5-year average. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it remains to see how the black frost hit in Limpopo turns out for both current reserves and prices. To get a broader view about potato supply in South Africa, read on in the statistics section below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africa Potato Statistics <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

South Africa is a key producer of potatoes not on only by continental but world standards. In 2021, it ranked 3rd<\/sup> in Africa after Egypt and Algeria and 27th<\/sup> globally with a production total of 2,595,280 tonnes<\/u><\/a>. FAOSTAT puts the 2022 production at 2,528,946 tonnes<\/u><\/a>, a slight decline from the 2021 output. As such, the country produces more than its consumption needs, which average just over 1.5 million tonnes<\/u><\/a> per year (2018). 20% of South Africa\u2019s production goes into the potato processing sector such as making chips and other products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which regions produce most potatoes<\/strong>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to government data, Limpopo province led production in 2018 at 22%<\/u><\/a> of the total area. Following suit were Eastern Free State with 11,562 hectares <\/u><\/a>and Western Free State with 7,372 hectares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

W<\/strong>hat is<\/strong> Limpopo<\/strong>\u2019s potato acreage<\/strong>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limpopo cultivates around 12,000 hectares<\/u><\/a> of potatoes. This helps realize a harvest of the tuber equal to a fluctuating 20 to 22% of the national total. In comparative terms, the national potato acreage reached 69,159 hectares<\/u><\/a> in 2021 before declining to 66,898 hectares in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much potatoes do South Africa\u2019s farmers sell <\/strong>locally <\/strong>per year<\/strong>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Potatoes SA, between 2019 and 2023, South Africa\u2019s markets averaged sales of 70,328,889 10-kg bags (703,289 tonnes). The lowest margin was 2023\u2019s 65,651,848<\/u><\/a> 10-kg bags (615,618 tonnes) while the peak was 2021\u2019s 71,321,432 bags (713,214 tonnes). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the 2019-23 average farm-gate price of potatoes in South Africa<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potato sales in South Africa are mostly in 10 kg bags at the farm and wholesale. The 5-year price median between 2019 and 2023 was 44.77 Rand<\/u><\/a> ($2.53) per 10 kg, according to Potatoes SA. The average peak during this period was 2023 at 64.61 Rand ($3.65), with the first 34 weeks of 2024 following at 62.39 Rand<\/u><\/a> ($3.54). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africa is at a potato supply crossroads after a late July 2024 frost affected the keynote Limpopo crop. Despite a followup\u00a0price\u00a0rally as a result, insiders believe this could affect national reserves by only a minor margin. According to a survey report by Potatoes SA, 2024 reserves will end up being just 3% less than the 2019-23…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nPotato supply in South Africa almost stable despite price spike - Selina Wamucii | Food & Agriculture News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.selinawamucii.com\/news\/2024\/08\/30\/potato-supply-in-south-africa-almost-stable-despite-price-spike\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Potato supply in South Africa almost stable despite price spike - Selina Wamucii | Food & Agriculture News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Africa is at a potato supply crossroads after a late July 2024 frost affected the keynote Limpopo crop. 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