My colleague Mike Abram has recently returned from the British Potato 2009 event in Harrogate, weighed down with story lines from the wonderful world of spuds.
The one that got my business nose twitching was the one about industry representatives calling for a cut in the planted area to try and lift prices.
Of course any orchestrated attempt to achieve this would be highly illegal and attract the intense scrutiny of the competition watchdogs. But the chances are, growers will cut back next season anyway in response to current low prices.
Analysis by the Potato Council proves the point nicely. Buried in the organisation's website - in the Annual Trends section of the Market Information area to be precise - is a report called Production and Price Trends 1960 to 2008.
This shows in clear, graphical form how the volume of potato production and the average price are inextricably linked....
For example, in 2002 the UK crop came to 6.6m tonnes and the price averaged just £80/t. But the following year, production slumped to 5.8m tonnes and the price jumped to over £150/t. Not rocket science - just basic economics!
Of more interest, perhaps, is the next graph linking the average price of potatoes to the change in the previous season's production. For example, in 2006 there was a 5% drop in production, which led to a 20% increase in price. Conversely, 1999 saw a 12% increase in production and a 50% fall in price.
The correlation over the years is remarkable and fully supports the notion that, if farmers could be persuaded to plant, say, 10% less area next spring, then a 60% price increase would be the reward.
The report contains some other fascinating insights into the history of the potato sector. For example, it shows how the number of potato growers has dropped from about 80,000 in 1960 to just about 2000 today. And the average area grown has increased from 4ha in 1960 to 50ha today. Over the period, average turnover per grower has increased tenfold, to about £270,000.
As the Potato Council proclaims, its historical datasheets are "more than a simple curiosity - they provide useful strategic information that may importantly affect your business decisions for the next season". They certainly provide food for thought.
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It is likely that growers will cut back next year. I have had a read of the production and price trends report and it is very interesting. There are some very interesting points made in there which could tell a big story in what goes on next year.