Poor harvest forces Swiss to import more potatoes

The weather forecast for the potato harvest is poor, with the consequence that the Swiss government has announced it is increasing import quotas by 15,000 tonnes.

“Potato growing has been difficult this spring because of the wet and humid weather,” Swisspatat director Christian Bucher told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS on Friday. There had been a “very severe infestation” of late blight, he said.

At Swisspatat’s request, the Federal Office for Agriculture authorised the import of a further 15,000 tonnes of processing potatoes under the tariff quota from September 1. This increase is valid until the end of the year.

According to Bucher, it will probably not be enough to cover demand. “We will have to wait a few weeks before we know the results of this year’s harvest,” he added.

Tags: imports, Switzerland, potato