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Production of chips curtailed due to specific potato shortage
With reports that Simba and Lays are battling to keep up with demand, Potatoes South Africa (PSA) has stated that there is a shortage of the specific cultivar of potato that is used to make chips.
Source: PSA
Jano Bezuidenhout from PSA says this is because they need specific characteristics when they crisp or when they fry the potatoes.
“For instance a processing cultivar will normally have dry matter or a high percentage starch in it,” he says.
He adds that the shortage is due to climatic conditions.
Bezuidenhout points out that this shortage is only affecting potato chip makers. “There is not a shortage of potatoes in the country - but merely a certain type used to make chips,” says a statement from PSA.
According to a weekly data report issued by PSA for the period ending 17 December 2021, there are an average of 1.4 million 10kg bags of potatoes available for supply in South Africa.
