Potato producers in France warn of rising costs for the 25/26 campaign

Published Dec 2, 2024

Tridge summary

The National Union of Potato Producers (UNPT) in France has announced a significant increase in production costs for the 2025/2026 campaign, with costs per hectare expected to rise by 2% to 3%, totaling four times the cost of growing wheat. Factors contributing to this increase include mechanization and seed supply costs, reduction in production tools, and extreme weather events. The UNPT is calling on all stakeholders in the potato value chain to adjust contracts to these increased costs to ensure the economic sustainability of farming and the continued existence of the potato sector in France.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

With the 2025/2026 campaign about to begin in a context of uncertainty, the National Union of Potato Producers (UNPT) has warned of the continued increase in production costs, making any attempt to reduce prices in contracts difficult. According to a recent UNPT study on production costs and the risks associated with potato cultivation, costs will increase by 2% to 3% per hectare compared to the previous campaign, depending on the destination of the crop (fresh, industrial or starch). Since 2019, the cost of planting a hectare of potatoes has continued to grow, reaching a level that is four times higher than that of a hectare of wheat. The increase in costs affects all expenditure items, being particularly significant in those related to mechanization and seed supply, which already represent almost 50% of total costs (both structural and proportional). In addition, this adverse economic scenario is aggravated by the reduction in production tools, such as phytosanitary products, ...

Source: Agrodigital