The French potato market has been going through a period of concerning volatility for a few weeks, even while the long-term forecast is firmly in the positive.

Producers are in complete confusion as a result of the recent steep decline in pricing on the free market for the industry and the doubts surrounding some contractual obligations. This is no coincidence, though, as the industry is on the verge of a significant economic imbalance for the 2025–2026 marketing year due to producers’ and some Belgian manufacturers’ failure to engage in collective discourse.

“The downward price trend observed in recent weeks is not simply a cyclical adjustment: it is intentional. The sharp 40% drop in the reference price of the industrial variety Fontane in one month is proof of this. This rapid and artificial decline sends a clear message to producers on the eve of the 2025 planting season. It is part of a strategy of pressure on current and future contractual commitments, resulting today in a unilateral revision of volumes imposed by a major Belgian operator… with cascading repercussions on all the structures linked to it,” according to a recent Union Nationale des Producteurs de Pommes de Terre (UNPT) release.

UNPT specialists claim that by disclosing an excess of contractual volumes for 2025–2026, this participant is unilaterally reducing initial tonnage obligations by 10–20% while pretending to be flexible enough to change acreage to plant amounts.

“This is merely a facade of flexibility, even though crop rotation plans are already finalized and planting begins in a few days. Is this situation the result of a lack of foresight or an intolerable strategy aimed at unbalancing the market by imposing unfavorable purchasing conditions on producers? Everyone will judge, but the UNPT categorically denounces these methods and this approach,” the organization’s representatives added.

Additionally, by refusing to engage in structured communication with producers and their groups, some operators endanger the market’s future balance by promoting elements of overproduction. A pragmatic and collaborative approach to acreage development would have prevented the impasse in which the whole agricultural sector is currently stuck.

France: Collective Dialogue and Contract Safety Are Essential

UNPT reiterates that commercial relations on French soil must respect the principles of sector dialogue and transparency defined by the EGAlim laws and the GIPT interprofessional agreements. For decades, producer organizations in France have guaranteed the security of production commitments, but today, some manufacturers are choosing to ignore this necessary collective exchange, leading to extreme situations.

The UNPT advises producers to rely on organized supply chains in the face of these conflicts and to be cautious of proposals from partners that have unclear promises. In order to protect equitable and long-lasting business relationships, it supports producers who want to have a fair discussion with these “new” French manufacturers.

In keeping with inter-professional agreements, the UNPT further urges the State and municipal governments to set up a systematic framework for producer-manufacturer consultation. This strategy is necessary to guarantee the peaceful and long-term growth of France’s potato industry.

“Maintaining competitive and sustainable French potato production requires genuine and fair dialogue between all stakeholders in the sector. The UNPT will remain committed to defending this balance,” the organization’s representatives concluded.