The year 2026 starts with a false start for potato producers.

20% fewer contracts concluded for the purchase of produced potatoes herald a new difficult year for potato producers. The case is from France, but the trend is for a large part of European potato producers. According to the National Union of French Potato Producers (UNPT), the announcements of contracts made in recent days for the 2026-2027 season are pushing producers into a deep and lasting economic crisis. Can potatoes be grown regeneratively? The industry organization signals an "alarming deviation from the contractual system" practiced until now. According to them, this situation is exacerbated by the "structure of certain contracts" that are designed to offer producers an exit to the free market as soon as the economic climate turns against the producers. UNPT also notes that the proposed contract prices are quite "below the production costs for the commitment undertaken, with the announced levels being 25% lower than the previous campaign, even though production costs have ...