b'MARKET NEWSRising Production Costs Make for Uncertain Potato MarketWith production costs on the rise and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, uncertainty looms for the potato industry.BY: ASHLEY ROBINSONWWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=2TJ8FZ55RUU EVEN BEFORE RUSSIA invadedThis is certainly thePorter is based in the United Kingdom Ukraine in February, production costs hadand had been suspecting for a while been on the rise across the agriculturemost expensive croppotato acres in Europe would be down world and had potato growers wonderingthat Ive ever seen to gothis year, but the Russian invasion of if planting potatoes this year was worth it. Ukraine has added to the worries growers Costs have risen substantially theand plant in the earth across the pond are facing. He says while amount of money and nitro prices areIts being led by fertilizer,contract prices for spuds are higher this up to about four times higher than theyyear, they arent high enough to make were a year or so ago. And diesel pricesand of course by fuel,planting potatoes attractive over other are doubling as well since the invasion,anything thats usedcrops. and supply chain issues as well havein the fuel process toContract prices have risen in Europe taken placea real sort of period ofby between 20 and 25 per cent, but they uncertainty and volatility. Growers arecreate, or manufacturewere agreed before the Russian invasion sort of scared of planting potatoes,is all seeing majorof Ukraine. We are getting growers going Cedric Porter, editor of World Potatoback to processors to try and perhaps Markets, explains during the Potatoincreases.squeeze a little bit more money out of the Markets Overview session at the Canadian KEVIN MACISAAC contracts, he explains.Spud Congress on March 22.Theres also uncertainty about if the 40SPUDSMART.COM Spring 2022'