Potato harvest in Poland increased, but with questionable quality

In 2024, the area sown with potatoes in Poland reached almost 195 thousand hectares, yields – 30 tons per hectare, and the harvest – 5.85 million tons compared to 5.60 million tons in 2023, the electronic publication FreshPlaza reported. However, Polish industry associations report higher figures – about 6.35 million tons of harvest, harvested from 205 thousand hectares at a yield of 31 tons per hectare. The expansion of potato areas in Poland last year was due to its high prices in 2023, which made its ripening more attractive due to the low profitability of other crops. “However, problems such as high costs and limited access to quality seed, together with adverse weather conditions, affected the 2024 season, which led to a significant part of the harvest being categorized as defective,” said Dr. Wojciech Nowacki of the Polish Potato Producers Association. Nowacki specified that the quality of the 2024 harvest suffered from heat and irregular rainfall, which is why about 75% of ...