The Potato Situation in Europe

Since July 1st, the European potato market has changed significantly — a record heatwave coincided with a period in which growers had already cut planting area. For industrial buyers, this means one thing: it's worth updating contracting assumptions for the 2026/2027 season.

A smaller planting area, even before the heat arrived

Even before the season began, NEPG (North-Western European Potato Growers) confirmed a roughly 11% drop in table potato planting area across the region: Belgium -16.6%, the Netherlands -15.1%, France -9.7%. In Poland the area shrank by about 12% — similar to the EU as a whole. The reason was simple: spot prices from the previous season fell to €0-2/100 kg, below production costs, so some farms shifted area to other crops.

A heatwave during the key growth phase

On top of that came a record heatwave — temperatures locally exceeded 40°C in Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic, right during tuber bulking. Above roughly 22–23°C, potato growth slows down, and prolonged heat stress translates into smaller tubers and lower raw material quality. The UK (Cornwall, south-west England) was hit hardest — local growers report yield drops of around 30–40%. Signals of restricted growth also came from Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France.

What this means for prices

Preliminary estimates from IERiGŻ point to a Polish harvest of around 6 million tonnes (versus 7 million tonnes a year earlier). The market will split into two segments: starch/industrial potato prices will stay under pressure from low processor contracts, while on the open market — especially in the second half of the season — price increases should be expected as limited supply and lower tuber quality tighten raw material availability for processing.

For our customers this means one thing: securing volumes early for the first half of 2027 may pay off more than in a typical season. We're tracking the situation closely and updating contracting terms as the harvest progresses.