What is a reasonable price for a Maris piper potato?

[chem1st]

The humble potato is a staple food in the European diet.

 

Everyday, up, down and all around South Yorkshire people be eating potatoes!

 

Sometimes people might be a bit posh and buy a Maris piper.

 

http://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/the-potato/potato-varieties/maris-piper/

 

^Link has a picture of said potato!

 

Like Desiree, Maris Piper scores 5 on the waxy / floury scale. With its pleasant floury texture it is therefore ideal for many potato dishes from chips and roast potatoes, mash and wedges. Maris Piper is one of the best known and popular potato varieties on sale, with more Maris Piper grown across the UK than any other variety. It is also a great favourite with fish and chip shops because it is so reliable. It has a creamy coloured flesh and although technically its skin is white to yellow in colour, it is regarded as a ‘white’ potato and is widely available. This is a Main Crop variety

 

Supermarkets often sell this staple item. I hear supermarkets pay farmers 9p/kg for tatos.

 

Cheapest they sell them for is about 35p/kg.

 

But what is a reasonable price for a Maris piper?

[Aleksandr]

Kestrels, a second early variety, are my favourite. They can also be sown later in the year for a Christmas crop!

[retep]

Spud the king of survival food.

[Cyclone]

Reasonable is whatever the market price is.

[medusa]

The supermarkets may pay 9p/kilo to the farmer for the potatoes, but the farmer is not paying the transport costs (diesel costs for transporting potatoes is huge because they're a seriously dense and heavy crop), cleaning, processing, bagging and quality control costs for the potatoes. The cost of all of those is borne by the supermarket, so they need to charge for all of those things don't they?

 

If you look at other produce the costings are similar. Each kiwi fruit which is flown from Australasia needs more than its own mass of jet fuel to get it to the UK from where it's grown. They cost very little to grown and farm, but hundreds of times that in fuel to transport, process and sell it.

[Cyclone]

I've seen signs before outside what I assume are farms saying "Potatoes for sale", presumably you can buy them for 15p or 20p/kilo if you go direct.

[gnvqsos]

The supermarkets may pay 9p/kilo to the farmer for the potatoes, but the farmer is not paying the transport costs (diesel costs for transporting potatoes is huge because they're a seriously dense and heavy crop), cleaning, processing, bagging and quality control costs for the potatoes. The cost of all of those is borne by the supermarket, so they need to charge for all of those things don't they?

 

If you look at other produce the costings are similar. Each kiwi fruit which is flown from Australasia needs more than its own mass of jet fuel to get it to the UK from where it's grown. They cost very little to grown and farm, but hundreds of times that in fuel to transport, process and sell it.

 

Potatoes are packed on the farm or in a co-operative venture.The supermarket simply display the produce,having required the primary producer to tie up their capital and bear the risks of production.They operate as monopsonists which are near monopoly purchasers,and exert downward pressure on prices.Kiwi fruit are grown in Europe and began in China.They are no longer supplied by NZ-it is a myth.

[Cyclone]

Does being packed include the cost of transporting to the supermarket? And is displaying a product free? The supermarkets have to pay for the space, for the staff and all their other overheads.

[medusa]

Potatoes are packed on the farm or in a co-operative venture.The supermarket simply display the produce,having required the primary producer to tie up their capital and bear the risks of production.They operate as monopsonists which are near monopoly purchasers,and exert downward pressure on prices.Kiwi fruit are grown in Europe and began in China.They are no longer supplied by NZ-it is a myth.

 

Very few potatoes are packed on farms and they are usually transported (often from Spain) in 1 tonne sacks. I know this because some of my trucks did a fair old bit of the transporting, and I was responsible for putting the diesel in their tanks and paying out £1500 per tank of diesel.

 

£1500 of diesel got 20 tonnes of potatoes about half of the way to Sheffield from Spain. That's a significant cost which has to be added on to the cost of the potatoes somewhere along the line.

[gnvqsos]

Very few potatoes are packed on farms and they are usually transported (often from Spain) in 1 tonne sacks. I know this because some of my trucks did a fair old bit of the transporting, and I was responsible for putting the diesel in their tanks and paying out £1500 per tank of diesel.

 

£1500 of diesel got 20 tonnes of potatoes about half of the way to Sheffield from Spain. That's a significant cost which has to be added on to the cost of the potatoes somewhere along the line.

 

 

Yes but the question was about Maris Pipers,an indigenous product,not a King Juan Carlos or a Barcelona Bulbous.Having worked for the Potato Board and the old International Stores I have acquired some insight into the tuber trade.