Asia, Africa, and Latin America – Three Major Players in the 2025 Potato Production Growth

When the output of other cereal crops approaches its limit, potatoes, the third-largest food crop, will become one of the beneficial crops in the global food security system.
Thanks to technological developments, new growing regions, and the development of high-yield and climate-resilient cultivars, the potato business is expanding rapidly worldwide.
As the year comes to an end, potato experts see 2025 through the lens of 2024.
According to new research by FAO potato experts, the global potato production per hectare is expected to reach around 23 tons in 2025, with Asia, Africa, and Latin America expected to produce 21 tons/ha.
Actually, by 2025, the world’s potato production will have increased by 42.1% to 500m tons, with Asia, Africa, and Latin America producing 320m tons, or 45.5% of the total, which accounts for 64% of the world’s production.
Slowly Climbing the Ladder
Nearly every estimate is predicated on the preceding year’s growth and weather conditions, as well as market and industry trends, among other things. The prognosis for 2025 cannot account for the lifting and growing circumstances of potatoes this year.
A report on market data for June–August 2024, was recently provided by Anjé Venter from Potatoes SA. The data released shows that average potato yields in the EU stayed at 35.1 t/ha, which is a little less than the average over the previous five years.
“Denmark recorded the highest yield (44 t/ha), followed by Germany at 41.1 t/ha while Greece experienced a significant 19.7% drop due to extreme heat. Weather forecasts predict mixed conditions, with potential challenges for growers in southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, Romania, and Poland),” Venter wrote in her report.
With a combined 770,400 hectares, major producers including France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium are the main drivers of the 7.9% increase in the EU potato-producing area this year, reaching 1.396m hectares in 2024.
The EU’s greatest harvest since 2020 is expected to be 48.902m tonnes of potatoes in 2024, with a more optimistic forecast of 51.327m tonnes.
You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary e-copy of Issue 4 of Potato Business Digital 2024 magazine, which you can access by clicking here.