TRADE AND MARKETING Growers in the Middle East are looking ahead 900 metres above sea level The described approach is also applied by grower Wajih Amoury. He has 95 hectares of potato fields in the Bekaa valley, which are 900 metres above sea level. This makes it possible to grow potatoes in the summer also. His fellow-farmer Nicolas Kehdy from Ratkay also grows potatoes and is active in real estate as well. He said that the Lebanon currently exports approx. 60 to 70 percent of its total potato production. The unrest in the region is making him extremely apprehensive. This feeling is intensified by the government not picking up the offer of the European Union to export a contingent of 50,000 tons. The Lebanon is therefore paying higher costs for the transport of the potatoes. Drivers can’t travel through Israel, and they hardly dare go through Syria. What remains is the port of Beirut as a passage for exporting the potatoes. Shipping, however, is a more expensive mode of transportation. Furthermore, this type of exporting cannot be planned very well. This means that there are often larger quantities of potatoes on the markets of the various sales countries, which puts considerable pressure on prices. Harvesting is carried out by hand Harvesting is often carried out by hand in the Lebanon. The advantage is that there is little damage.The bigger the tubers, the better is the motto. That is why they like varieties like Spunta and Fabula in the Lebanon. The domestic consumption is 120,000 tons a year. The Lebanese often live in large families who like their potatoes. Because the Lebanese are mostly a nation of traders, trade agent Hady Dagher observes that the growers are not very keen to switch to new varieties. He knows that HZPC is the market leader by nearly 40 percent of the total export of 27,000 tons in the Lebanon. What is also striking in this land of traders is that prices are transparent, and that a large number of trading companies are active in various European countries. Dagher notes that growers in neighbouring Syria are much more inclined to start using new varieties. In addition to the Bellini, Stet Holland is starting with new varieties in the region such as the Safari and the Triplo. The export position of Syria in Arab countries is strong. Land is cheap and because of the presence of oil, the price of fuel is one third of the price in the Lebanon. And, labour is much cheaper as well. All in all, the cost of potato cultivation in Syria is much lower. The Lebanese often live in large families who like their potatoes. The domestic consumption is 120,000 tons a year. In addition to the retailers market which supplies the local markets, the supermarket share is growing as well. 8 Potato World 2011 • number 4 Pagina 7
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