The Swedish harvest of table potatoes is estimated at 542 800 tonnes. This is 25 700 tonnes or 4.5 percent lower than the total harvest in 2009. Unfavourable weather conditions during the cultivation season were the main cause of the lower harvest. Four counties dominate the cultivation of table potatoes: Skåne, Västra Götaland, Halland and Östergötland counties. The area for table potatoes amounted to 19 790 hectares in 2010.
The harvest of table potatoes including new potatoes for 2010 is estimated at 27 430 kilos per hectare, which is 5 percent lower than the final harvest of the previous year. Östergötland and Halland counties report the highest harvests of 31 640 respectively 31 220 kilos per hectare, which is 3 and 18 percent lower, respectively than the harvest the year before. Skåne county, with its significant cultivation of new potatoes and thus with a lower level of harvest per hectare, has a harvest of 29 220 kilos per hectare, which is 4 percent lower than last year. In Gävleborg and Värmland counties, harvests increased per hectare by 20 and 16 percent respectively, compared to last year's low harvest levels. In Örebro county the harvest was 24 percent lower than last year. The reduced harvest was because of unfavourable weather conditions during the cultivation season.
In ten years, cultivation of new potatoes has increased from 10 percent of the area for table potatoes to about 20 percent of the area now. However, the harvest per hectare is lower for new potatoes, and of Sweden's total harvest, new potatoes comprise roughly 14 percent. Besides new potatoes, table potatoes include autumn and winter potatoes for direct consumption as well as potatoes for manufacture of potato flakes, crisps, chips etc., feed potatoes and planting potatoes.
Lower total harvests for starch potatoes, despite increased cultivation
Potatoes for starch are mainly cultivated in Skåne, Blekinge and Kalmar counties. The harvest per hectare is estimated to be 37 240 kilos per hectare and the total yield to be 272 800 tonnes, which is 5.7 percent lower than last year's results. Skåne county reports the highest harvest of 38 930 per hectare. The area for potatoes for starch amounted to 7 320 hectares, which is a slight increase of 70 hectares compared to 2009.