Good Yields Reported in Saxony as Potato Prices Decline
Saxony’s potato growers are reporting a solid 2025 harvest, with yields and quality described as favourable, though prices at the farm gate are coming under pressure as volumes reach the market.
“The potatoes have grown very nicely and the crops have been able to make good use of the rainfall,” Ariane Weiß, Managing Director of the Saxon Potato Association, told the German Press Agency (dpa). She characterised the season as “a good, average harvest with yields of around 40 tons per hectare. The quality is very good. The potatoes are not too big and not too small – just the way consumers want them.”
Harvesting began in July in the Leipzig area with early potato varieties and is expected to continue into October. Most of the crop is sold fresh, while part of the output is processed into potato salads and chilled products. In theory, Saxony could meet its entire fresh consumption needs from local production, Weiß noted, though the state lacks factories for chips, crisps, and starch.
Two of the region’s larger operators, the Schönberg agricultural cooperative and Dennheritzer Agrarproduktion in Zwickau district, cultivate around 260 hectares and are currently supplying potato processor Friweika. The company uses the raw material for gratins, dumplings, fried potatoes, potato pancakes and other convenience foods.
Potato cultivation remains modest in Saxony relative to total arable land and has been declining. According to the State Statistical Office, 5,100 hectares were planted with potatoes in 2025, a drop of 4.3% from the previous year.
As harvesting has advanced, producer prices have weakened. “Prices have fallen, but much more for producers than for consumers in the supermarket,” Weiß said. Current levels are already lower than those seen for early potatoes, and further declines are expected, particularly in promotional sales.
Early potato production in Saxony remains a high-effort but lucrative segment. Tubers are pre-germinated at the end of March or beginning of April and protected against cold using fleece, allowing local produce from the Leipzig and Wurzen region to reach the market from July at premium prices.
Potatoes remain a staple in Saxon cuisine, prepared in a variety of dishes from dumplings to “Klitscher” pancakes with apple sauce.
