EURO 2008 INFO

A one-month kick off the Euro 2008, Switzerland frieze shortage of french fries and potato chips. Demand has risen so that the reserves are exhausted soon, says Swisspatat which seeks to import 3000 tonnes of potatoes.

Sales of products based on potatoes are well above expectations, said Swisspatat, the Interprofession of the economy of the potato. He added that although stocks above average, available reserves will not be sufficient to meet demand until the next harvest.

And it will take place later this year, Swisspatat wants to import, in addition to 3000 tons of potatoes to be processed into french fries or chips, 5000 tons of potatoes for consumption. All these additional imports have yet to obtain the approval of the Minister of Economy Doris Leuthard.

The request, however, aroused some misunderstanding in his department as several producers have stigmatized in mid-April the import of 2,690 tonnes of potatoes from Egypt early. They criticized the fact the one hand that Switzerland went co-responsible for riots that have struck this country and, secondly, that these potatoes competing domestic products.