The potato harvest in Germany is expected to be weaker this year. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture reported on Monday that preliminary official figures for 2026 project a total potato yield of approximately 10.4 million tons. This represents a significant drop-nearly a quarter less than the previous year’s harvest of 13.9 million tons, which was the largest since 1990. Furthermore, the yield for 2026 is 13 percent below the multi-year average spanning 2020 to 2025.
The primary causes cited for the reduced yield include a late spring start in 2026, attributed to February rainfall, combined with periods of heat and drought during the summer months. This decline is most evident in the productivity per hectare; the national average for 2026 was about 38 tons per hectare, which is 11 percent below the long-term average and a noticeable 15 percent reduction from the previous very strong year.
Regarding cultivation, according to preliminary land use survey results, the total potato farming area in Germany for 2026 stands at 268,300 hectares. This area is 11 percent smaller than the high level seen in previous year. While the six-year average is only slightly lower, at around two percent, the reduction in acreage remains a factor. Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Bavaria account for three-quarters of the total German potato-growing land, although these regions have also reduced their cultivated areas compared to the prior year.
Despite these projections, the ministry anticipates that potato supply and consumer prices will remain stable in the medium term. This optimistic outlook is based on Germany’s high degree of self-sufficiency and the expected equilibrium between supply and demand.
