Potato growers in north-western Europe are facing one of the most difficult seasons in recent memory, as record production collides with limited storage capacity and sluggish demand, driving free-buy prices to historic lows.

According to the North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG), farmers in Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands planted 7% more potatoes in 2024 – an additional 37,000 hectares – with the upward trend continuing this spring. By 2025, nearly 40,000 hectares had been added, bringing the total area under potatoes in the four countries to 608,000 hectares, again 7% higher than the previous year.

Trial digs across the NEPG zone point to a record harvest of around 27.3 million tonnes, 2.65 million tonnes, or 11%, more than in 2024. The expansion was encouraged by rising processor demand, investments in new processing capacity, and higher contract prices that positioned potatoes as a more profitable option than alternative crops.

But the sharp increase has now tipped the market off balance. A significant share of this year’s crop cannot be stored, with tens of thousands of tonnes already diverted into animal feed, biogas plants or composting facilities.

The NEPG has warned that the consequences will reverberate into 2026. “We are currently experiencing a true growth crisis: in 2025, a supply crisis, which could very well turn into a crisis of demand as early as 2026 if growers no longer have the economic capacity to keep up,” the organisation stated.

Production costs in agriculture, it noted, are unlikely to fall, while many farms will absorb heavy financial losses this year. A reduction in planted area for 2026 therefore appears inevitable, though its extent will depend on processors’ willingness to align with sustainable and economically viable conditions for farmers.

The NEPG stressed the need for closer alignment across the value chain. “The NEPG reiterates: produce what you can in a sustainable way and preserve your resources,” the group said, underlining that output must match demand, not run ahead of it.

With climate change raising both costs and risks in cultivation, the growers’ group urged farmers to prioritise soil, water and biodiversity preservation. “Preserving this capital is the essential condition to continue farming successfully in the future,” the NEPG concluded.