The Expana Benchmark Price (EBP) for Dutch Processing Potatoes Rose
On December 3rd, the Expana Benchmark Price (EBP) for Dutch processing potatoes jumped to GBP165/MT, an 18% rise from the previous month.
“This 2024-2025MY seasonal price rise aligns with the typical trend as farmers store their potatoes after harvest, driving up prices. However, the current price is 20% lower year-on-year (y-o-y), reflecting a more successful harvest compared to the wet 2023 harvest. Although that is not to say the 2024 harvest went smoothly according to the North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) ‘harvesting was done in very difficult and expensive conditions’,” Harry Campbell recently wrote in one of his comments.
The average yield throughout the four NEPG countries for this year’s harvest, which ended in November, is 43.8 tonnes/ha, which is slightly less than the yield of the same amount last year and the 5-year average of 44.4 tonnes/ha, according to the NEPG (North-Western European Potato Growers). The NEPG has characterized overall potato quality as ‘good,’ despite somewhat lower yields. The EU-4 region’s overall cultivated area increased by 37,700 hectares (+7.2%), increasing production by 6.9% year over year to 24.6m tonnes (+1.6m tonnes).
Rainfall that postponed planting and harvesting was one of the difficulties farmers encountered and extended wet circumstances led to one of the highest late blight pressures in the NEPG region in recent years. Furthermore, according to the NEPG, average production costs increased by EUR1,000/ha in 2024, surpassing 2023 levels, with some growers having to pay even more. Increased expenses for seed handling (such as cutting, chitting, drying, and cooling), stricter late blight control techniques, and growing storage costs—all of which were exacerbated by increased building and machinery costs—were contributing factors.
“Concerns are growing over the sustainability of potato farming in the EU. Rising risks and costs may deter smaller growers from continuing production, potentially leading to a decline in overall cultivation. Industry sources indicate a trend toward consolidation, with potato farming increasingly concentrated among fewer, larger, and better-equipped operations. These growers are more capable of managing the financial and operational challenges inherent in potato production,” Campbell concluded.
