– We have plenty of space in the potato warehouse, says potato farmer Thor Sve Bjørndal. Usually around a thousand tonnes of almond potatoes fill his warehouse in Vågå. But this year he has only harvested around two hundred tonnes. Because it has been a difficult summer for the potato farmer in Gudbrandsdalen. First there was drought, then a lot of rain, also flume. – The summer has been challenging. It wasn’t anything particularly good, says Bjørndal. It has been a demanding summer for potato farmer Thor Sve Bjørndal at Sve farm in Vågå. Photo: Even Lusæter / news May be in short supply Norway is one of the few countries that produces almond potatoes. Now there is likely to be a shortage of the potato, which is particularly popular with Christmas food and grilled fish. Bama has approximately 4,800 tonnes of almond potatoes in stock, according to communications advisor Anne Victoria Frogner. That is around 38 per cent less than last year. – It is clear that there is a risk that we will not get the almond potatoes for Christmas dinner when the production is so much lower, says Elisabeth Gjems, leader of the Innlandet farming association. – I think it’s a lesson for us who are used to getting what we want, when we want it. We are vulnerable, and climate and unexpected events can prevent us from getting what we should have. The almond potato is popular for Christmas dinner, whether you have ribs, stick meat, rakfisk or lutefisk. In addition, many people make lefse from the almond potato. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB scanpix Gartnerhallen, which is Norway’s largest supplier of fruit, berries, vegetables and potatoes, also has less potatoes in stock than before. The decline in class 1 almond potatoes was 30 per cent compared to 2022. – Whether there will be enough almond potatoes for Christmas depends on how much will be sold from now until Christmas, says Frogner. – We are monitoring the situation continuously and possibly considering importing from Finland. Considering relaxing the requirement For the farmer in Gudbrandsdalen, several hundred acres of almond potatoes were left in the fields after the fall in August. In addition to the fact that many of the potatoes in Gudbrandsdalen drowned, many of them also showed signs of having been stressed. – They will be red in the skin. It’s just a mistake, but they don’t pay for that, says Bjørndal. 430 hectares of potatoes were under water and drowned in the fields in Vågå and Sel in Gudbrandsdalen. Photo: Even Lusæter / news Now, Bama is considering changing certain requirements for the potatoes for a period, due to this year’s miserable crop. – All potato producers follow the same quality requirements, which include assessment of internal and external damage, foreign taste or smell, firmness, color and size, says Frogner. – Certain deviations will be allowed to varying degrees, and we are looking at the possibility of changing certain requirements for a period, as we normally do, based on this year’s crop. As always, we will have zero tolerance for rot and mold. Need more security Elisabeth Gjems hopes there won’t be Finnish almond potatoes for Christmas dinner. – It won’t be quite the same with Finnish potatoes for Christmas dinner. There is a certain identity in that piece, and people have a connection to the potato, she says. The farmer association leader believes it is serious that a third of the almond potato crop in Norway has been lost this year. – It is serious and it shows that we must maintain production throughout Norway. Often there are parts of the country or areas that are hit harder by extreme weather than others. – If this had been 200 years ago, it would have been quite a bad year and many would probably have thought of going to America instead, says Elisabeth Gjems, leader of the Inland Farmers Association. Photo: Arne Sørenes / news In order to ensure that the potato farmers who were badly affected by the extreme weather will continue to grow potatoes, she believes there must be better security around them. She proposes, among other things, a scheme that covers potatoes that were destroyed in this season, but still in autumn. The general production failure scheme covers some of the loss, but not enough, Gjems believes. – The fluff came at the end of the growing season. This means that the potato farmers have done all the work and invested a lot in the crop, and they are also incurring such large losses. – When conditions are so uncertain, we need a safety net that is even better than what we have today, believes Gjems. Must import more Agriculture and Food Minister, Geir Pollestad (Sp), refers to the general production failure scheme and says they are not considering a special scheme for potatoes. – For this year’s growing season, we have created a special arrangement for grain, in that you can get a subsidy in the event of a production failure for autumn grain that is rejected or results in a zero settlement with grain buyers. – We do not consider anything equivalent for potatoes or storage vegetables, says Pollestad. Agriculture and Food Minister Geir Pollestad (Sp) believes we must import more potatoes this year than usual. – And it’s a shame, because I think many people are like me and prefer a Norwegian potato. In this potato country, I think we should both eat more potatoes and produce more of them ourselves. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / news He understands that the potato farmers are in a demanding situation after this year’s season. – Reports indicate that the potato farmers have been badly hit by the extreme weather, and I understand that it can be challenging. – We also import in normal years, but with less potatoes in stock, we will probably have to import more than usual this season.
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It can be difficult to get hold of the almond potato for Christmas dinner
