 [26.05.10]
Record amounts of Finnish potatoes are being delivered to shops in St. Petersburg this year, reports the Helsinki newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. Reasons for the surge include the better quality of Finnish potatoes, and the low producer prices after a collapse on the Finnish market. The Finnish producer price are as low as 9-10 cents per kilo.
“So far we have delivered more than 500 lorry loads of food potatoes to St. Petersburg from different parts of Finland. It began in October. In the coming days, the 12 million kilo level will be reached”, says Aki Aunola, CEO of the potato-handling company Luonnosta Oy.
Thanks to the low producer price of 9-10 cents per kilo, Finns are competing well against the Dutch and French, who export potatoes by ship to St. Petersburg.
The Russian taste is for large potatoes, and last summer, potatoes in many Central European countries were smaller than usual. The cold winter also took its toll on the maritime delivery of potatoes.
“Various duties, as well as paperwork raise the price of exported potatoes by about 35 cents a kilo. The price of washed and sorted Finnish potatoes at markets in St. Petersburg is 1.4 euros a kilo, whereas Russian potatoes sell for 70 cents a kilo. Finnish products have a good reputation there”, says Aki Aunola.
The surge in demand from Russia came as a welcome surprise for Finnish potato farmers, as there had been fears that part of last year’s bumper crop might be left unsold.
“Never have so many potatoes been sold from Finland to St. Petersburg and Russia. Healthy exports also boost the spirits of potato farmers, as many have been forced to sell their goods at cost price. The cost of raising potatoes, including fertiliser, is about 20 cents a kilo”, says Antti Lavonen, produce expert at the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK).
[ (Source: ”Helsingin Sanomat”) russia-media.RU Murmansk & Shtokman News / FLAIT Murmansk ]
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