Comment: Early plantings have remained stagnant by and large this week, as ground conditions remain very wet. Demand and price remain strong for good-quality material, particularly Kerr Pinks and Golden Wonders. Little or no progress has been made on stocks remaining in the ground. Growers are reminded to not rule out supplying the peeling market with suitable stock at this time.

In the UK, markets are slightly depressed, with mainly repeated orders and free-buy demand subdued. Liftings of remaining crop is also halted and the impact of the storm conditions will risk degrading the remaining crop.

In Europe, movement of top-quality lines saw some improvement this week. There is growing concern about the quality of samples being offered by growers and some higher values have had to be paid to secure best quality. This is starting to be reflected in higher pricing for top-end samples into the markets.

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