European potato growers slash acreage 11% as prices plunge

The NEPG group (Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands) reports an average 11 % drop in the area planted with table potatoes for the 2026 season, cutting roughly 67,000 ha to 536,900 ha. National reductions are 16.6 % in Belgium, 15.1 % in the Netherlands and 9.7 % in France, with Germany showing a similar decline.

Low market prices – sometimes as low as €0‑2 per 100 kg – and weak contract offers of about €12.5 per tonne threaten the sector’s profitability. Avebe, a Dutch‑German potato processor, halved its contract price for starch potatoes from €110 / t last year to €65 / t this year, citing oversupply, geopolitical and economic developments. Farmers with crops already in the ground say the cut leaves them “working but not earning”, raising concerns about farm viability and even disease‑control practices.

The NEPG warns that persistent low prices could compromise the long‑term economic health of potato growers and downstream processors across the region.