Potato prices drop below zero in Europe

The European potato market is under significant pressure. According to DCA Market Intelligence, there is a substantial surplus, forcing growers in some cases to pay to offload their product. Low prices or giving potatoes away for free offer little relief, as inventories continue to build.

Surplus pushes prices even lower

Dutch growers have significantly expanded their acreage in recent years. Strong demand and favorable contract prices from the processing industry were key drivers. Favorable growing conditions led to high yields in 2025. At the same time, demand for potatoes has clearly weakened. Competition from Asia has increased, while import tariffs in the United States are complicating exports. The weaker dollar is also contributing to a deteriorating export position.

Price developments reflect this situation. PotatoNL recently recorded €-1.00 to €-2.00 per 100 kilos for feed potatoes. Prices for potatoes suitable for fries are only slightly higher. Due to the surplus, volumes are shifting toward animal feed and anaerobic digestion.

Time pressure ahead of the new harvest

Although potatoes can technically be stored for long periods, the economic feasibility is declining. With no prospect of price recovery, growers are choosing to sell earlier.

“Not everyone can store their potatoes for that long. Moreover, there is currently no outlook for market improvement. So growers are deciding to stop incurring cooling costs,” said Niels van der Boom, potato market specialist at DCA Market Intelligence. As a result, additional volumes are entering the market more quickly. At the same time, pressure is building on storage capacity for the new harvest.

Large volumes without buyers

Surpluses across Europe are substantial. The Netherlands harvested approximately 4.2 million tonnes of ware potatoes in 2025, 900,000 tonnes more than a year earlier. An estimated 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes remain unsold.

Large volumes are also without buyers in Belgium, France, and Germany. In total, this amounts to around 3.3 million tonnes within the EU-4 (the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France). In Belgium, promotional campaigns are being launched to stimulate sales. In France, a protocol for controlled destruction is being developed. In the Netherlands, the issue has been discussed, but concrete measures have so far not been taken.

Dcamarketintelligence.com