2012 will surely remembered as a miserable year for agriculture. Drought and unseasonable heat across the world led to severe shortages of a multitude of crops, from maize and wheat to olives, and is likely to give rise to record food prices. In the UK, a mild winter followed by a wash out spring and summer hit everything from fruit crops to cereal production and horticulture.   

Now the UK potato industry has reported its second consecutive poor harvest, and warned this may result in a rise in potato prices to complement price rises in other staple foods. Growers say the weather has been too cold, wet and lacking in sunlight for good potato production; the summer period was amongst the dimmest on record for the UK.

The current potato crop is smaller than usual, with smaller individual tubers, splits due to excessive water and visible blemishes. Tamworth farmer Robert Lockhart said, "This time last year, crops weren't germinating [because] it was so dry; it's so wet this year we can't even get them into the ground."

According to the UK Potato Council, the year has been a difficult one for producers across Europe. In Central Europe, rain delayed harvests into late October and yields are thought to be down on average, and much lower than 2011’s bumper harvest. There too, tuber size is causing concern.  

The situation is comparable in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium, the council said. The disruption and variable yields have been blamed on wet weather.

Tweet