A looming potato shortage in Northern Ireland could see the cost of the family staple “skyrocket”, says UFU potato committee chair David McElrea.
Northern Ireland imports ‘several lorry loads of potatoes a day’ from GB where extreme heat is reported to have wilted the main crop according to the farmer.
While growers here don’t appear to have been as badly hit by recent weather, Mr McElrea says he knows of at least one whose crop won’t make the size.
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“We haven’t been as badly affected as they have in GB just because it hasn’t been as warm and dry here but there certainly has been crops that have been badly affected [in Northern Ireland],” he explained.
“I was talking with a grower a couple of days ago down in Kilkeel and his crop won’t make the size because they wilted a couple of weeks ago.
“Until the local stuff is harvested, we won’t have a fuller picture.”
David says it can range from £200-£400 a tonne for potatoes so it’s really hard to gauge how potential shortages will impact their price.
“The last time we had such a drought the prices sky rocketed,” he explained.
“They were at £400 a tonnes in 1977 which if you put inflation onto that from 1977, that would probably be a scary number.
“If all the spuds had been grown here instead of importing them from GB, the price shock wouldn't have been anywhere near as excessive.“
Even if farmers were not facing potential crop issues, the potato expert says the rising cost of fertiliser and fuel means the price of spuds and chips “will go up” anyway.
“I suppose we have to apologise to the public for them going up,” he added.
“We have been hit by fertiliser and fuel and that’s even before wages and other ancillary things that we buy - unfortunately we are going to have to pass that on.
“Every business is in the same boat and nobody can really absorb it.
“The price of fertiliser... has doubled and everybody knows where fuel is. Red diesel used to be 50p and is now £1.13.
“Potatoes are a fuel hungry crop. You get large tonnages per acre but it takes a lot of fuel to get to that so it is a big cost to the business.
His advice for consumers is - “the best way to mitigate against price rises is to buy local because there is going to be less transport cost and food”.
"They are still the cheapest thing in your shopping basket and the best value.“
The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, which oversees food security, has been contacted for comment.
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