The French Potato Interprofessional warns of a general drop in production in Europe.

The French Potato Interprofessional warns of a significant reduction in production throughout Europe in a recent report.

Belgium: Potato production is expected to fall by 17% in Belgium, according to Belgapom. This estimate would suppose a harvest of 3.7 million tons, the lowest since 2018.

What is at stake is the production of 2023, according to Christophe Vermeulen (general director of Belgapom) and the commitment that Belgian producers could assume in a context in which "the high costs of fertilizers, energy and storage make alternatives such as wheat and corn, whose world market prices are high, much more attractive".

Germany: The 3.3% increase in the national potato area has somewhat mitigated the impact of the 12% drop in yields, as the drought affected tuber growth.

Production in 2022 is estimated at 10.2 million tons, 9.2% less than in 2021, according to estimates by the national statistics office Destatis.

The national average yield is estimated at 38.5 tons/hectare, but the results have been uneven in the different regions.

Production in the largest producing region, Lower Saxony, increased by 1.4% to 5.1 million tonnes, with a 5.6% increase in area offsetting a 3.9% drop in yields.

The biggest drop in production was in Saxony, down 28.7% to 174,000 tonnes, as yields fell by 26.2%.

The figures do not specify quality issues, as growers report harvest difficulties in late August and September due to dry soil conditions and wireworm.

Spain: The Spanish 2022 seasonal potato harvest has been revised downwards to 823,503 tons, 9.5% less than last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

This is the second lowest mid-season potato harvest since 2016. The average yield is 27.1 tons/hectare, 7.5% less than last year, when it reached 29.3 tons/hectare.

The area dedicated to late cycle potatoes has been revised upwards, standing at 17,300 hectares, which represents a decrease of 3.7% compared to last year's figure, which was 17,967 hectares.

In Castilla y León, harvesting is well advanced (in 75% of the area). Yields are 15-30% lower than in a normal year.

Portugal: The Portuguese potato harvest is estimated at 281,000 tons, 25% less than last year (374,000 tons). This is the smallest harvest since 1930, according to the National Institute of Statistics.

The drought and high temperatures accelerated the maturation of the potatoes, which led to a lower yield due to their smaller size.

Poland: The latest publication of the Central Statistical Office, Statistics Poland, dated September 30, estimates the Polish potato harvest at 6.05 million tons, 14.6% less than the previous year, a level never seen before.

An important part of this decrease is due to the reduction of the area dedicated to starch potatoes, which decreased by at least 20% (from 34,000 ha to less than 28,000 ha).