News on The Potato Supply Chain

PotatoEurope 2025 takes place 3–4 Sept. at WUR Lelystad with 300+ exhibitors & visitors from 119 countries. Highlights: trial harvests, ICM & market conferences, live demos from harvest to sorting, and innovation test fields.

Branston potato growers gathered in Lincolnshire to explore new varieties, including a nutty salad potato and Inca Rosa, aimed at supermarkets by 2026. The field walk showcased trials, yields, and innovations, with Tesco also backing the development.

Allround Vegetable Processing leads India’s pre-processing sector with modular machinery, e-Gate IoT cold storage, AI-driven R&D, and expanding plants, reducing waste, boosting yields, and delivering European innovation for Indian conditions.

Potato growers are urged to watch for the Colorado beetle, a pest threatening UK crops. Spot yellow-cream beetles with black stripes or red larvae. Report sightings with photos to APHA or the Scottish Government to protect biosecurity.

Last week marked the start of the 2025 potato starch campaign at Aebe. Over the coming months, potatoes will be delivered six days a week to Royal Avebe’s factories

United States retail sales of potatoes maintained strong volume over the nine months from July 2024 to March 2025. Despite a small (-0.5%) drop in dollar sales to USD 14.72 billion

The first container of locally grown potatoes produced by Lamb Weston will soon depart from the port of Mar del Plata bound for Brazil, marking a milestone for both the company and the region.

Beirut Erbil Company welcomed Bulgarian Consul Vasil Vasilev, Dr. Trifon Iliev, and a delegation who praised its potato chips plant, warehouses, quality labs, and discussed future Iraq-Bulgaria trade and investment opportunities.

Following the successful introduction of the Spirit 9200i in 2024, AVR is now launching the Spirit 9200i VW: all the strengths of AVR’s most recent trailed harvester, completed with the patented Varioweb cleaning system.

La oferta debería mantenerse elevada durante las próximas semanas y no se esperan, en principio, aumentos en los precios de comercialización.

Una porción de papas fritas cuesta más que una bolsa de papas en el mercado. La situación es insostenible y se declara emergencia en el sector.

Los agricultores del Campo de Cartagena enfrentan precios de 10 a 15 céntimos por kilo, muy por debajo de los costes de producción, lo que amenaza la viabilidad del cultivo de papa.

Irish potato farmers in Plateau State, Nigeria, report higher yields this season, with tubers harvested in larger sizes and volumes than in recent years. The increase has followed several years of low yields.

Drought across Maine, with 80% of the state affected, threatens potato harvests. Experts warn stunted growth, urging irrigation. The USD 1.3 Billion industry faces risks as relief isn’t expected until early autumn.

Agristo, a leading Belgian potato processor with six global branches, will invest USD 450M in its first North American facility in Grand Forks. Construction starts 2026, with production set for fall 2028.

Seed potato areas in Western Europe reached 106,864 ha in 2025, up 9,297 ha (+9.53%) from 2024. Netherlands, France and Germany account for 80%. Growth is led by processing and export varieties, confirming their strategic role.

Potatoes are the main vegetable crop in Uruguay, where production volume (20% of total vegetables), level of consumption (30 kg/inhabitant/year), and nutritional benefits make potatoes a staple food that contributes to food security.

Si la situación con las importaciones se mantiene indefinidamente, la producción nacional podría no lograr sobrevivir.