TRADE AND MARKET I NG New practical impetus for European trade at the Europatat conference other 27 EU countries in order to ensure that no more countries leave’, Porter explains the conflicting interests. In his view, much will also depend on whether May will remain as Prime Minister, or whether she will be replaced by one of the Brexit champions such as Boris Johnson, Michael Cove or David Davis. As a result of the British elections, Porter claims that the chance of a Breturn has increased. Looking at the food supply in Great Britain, Porter says that 61 percent of the country is self-sufficient; 51% of imported food comes from the EU. ‘That’s 14,000 trucks crossing the North Sea every day’, the chief editor sketches. ‘Due to the weak Pound, importing has become much more expensive for the British. The rapid rise in inflation is a result of this’, Porter explains. Looking at trade, negotiations can go two ways. ‘After the divorce, there will be either a new trade regime or EU-United Kingdom trade will fall under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules (as in Switzerland, ed.). At the moment, Britain is still importing potatoes in net terms. In view of the decreasing acreage, imports will certainly increase even further in the coming years’, Porter expects. Looking at the impact on a WTO tariff, Porter calculates the various submarkets based on the figures for the 2016 crop year. For consumption and seed potatoes, he expects that the import and export tariffs of 11.5% and 4.5% respectively will cancel each other out. Of course, the consequences for the companies involved can be considerable, as bills have to be paid. For the export of chips from the EU to Great Britain, he foresees major financial consequences. With a tariff of 14.4 percent and an export of 400 million euros, a levy of more than 60 million euros creates a considerable difference between local production and import. This offers opportuniForget about Brexit, focus on the development of potatoes in countries in Africa and Asia. That’s where it’s happening’, confirms Cedric Porter of Potatomarkets. ties for the expansion of local production’, concludes Porter. In conclusion, he says that EU companies should not be obsessed by Brexit. ‘Forget about Brexit, focus on the development of potatoes in countries in Africa and Asia. That’s where it’s happening’, confirms Porter. ● Jaap Delleman ‘Climate change has a major impact on cultivation, and the European government’s greening policy is putting great pressure on chemical crop protection agents’, Belgapom Secretary Romain Cools explains to the 300 attending European potato traders. Potato World 2017 • number 4 43 Pagina 42
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