Potato producers in north-west Europe are concerned about the increase in acreage

The North-West European Potato Producers Group (NEPG, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium) has expressed concern about the possibility of farmers increasing their acreage between 2024 and 2025. French organisations had already warned of this a few weeks ago, explaining to French producers that they must follow the demand of industrialists and not get ahead of it. The NEPG indicates that the recent rise in prices, which have gone from 12.5 euros/100 kilos in the October-November 2024 period to 30 euros in February 2025, and which it considers “surprising”, actually hides a very uncertain market, which could change if supply increases. The group recalls that the harvest in the four main European producing countries increased by 6.9% in 2024 compared to 2023, to 24.7 million tonnes. On the other hand, production costs are increasing while yields are falling. On the international level, competition on the French fry market is increasing, with new players such as India, ...