Prices for potatoes may increase for Irish customers in the upcoming months due to shortages. Supermarket potato prices have already increased 17.3% from 2023, but more increases are anticipated as a result of the negative effects of last year’s severe weather on the crop and this year’s planting season.

According to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which RTE News reported, farmers received 74% more money in March 2024 for potatoes than they did the year before due to shortages.

Sean Ryan, the IFA’s National Potato Chairman, stated for the aforementioned source that the price hike is due to the low base of pricing from 2023 and the ongoing scarcity of potatoes for the remainder of this year.

“Scarcity of supply is reflected in the prices quoted… which have come off the back of unsustainable prices for the last 10 years. Current prices need to be sustained for a viable potato industry,” Ryan said.

The National Potato Chairman of the IFA further noted that although high prices are being offered for potatoes right now, very few growers have supplies for sale. The input costs for the potatoes that are currently on the shelf were at an all-time high when those potatoes were grown.

“Most growers are not benefiting from price increases as a large amount of potatoes were sold straight from fields at harvest time when prices were lower,” he concluded.