Germany anticipates a potentially record-breaking potato harvest in 2025, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture reported on Wednesday, marking the most promising yield in over two decades. Preliminary official data indicate a projected harvest of 13.4 million tons, a 5.3% increase compared to the already robust 2024 and a significant 17% above the average of recent years. A similar level of success was last achieved in 2000.
Contributing to this positive outlook is a notable expansion in planted area. The acreage dedicated to potato cultivation has risen by 6.7% compared to the previous year, reaching 301,000 hectares – the largest area observed since the turn of the millennium.
Beyond the increased planting area, yield per hectare is also expected to bolster the anticipated record results. The average yield is currently forecasted at approximately 44 tons per hectare, slightly below the exceptionally good year of 2024 (-1 percent) but still nearly 5% above the long-term average.
Favorable growing conditions throughout 2025 have supported this positive projection. Following a sufficiently wet winter, a warm and dry spring facilitated optimal planting schedules. While some regions experienced periods of dryness, allowing for early harvesting of new potatoes, irrigation measures were implemented where feasible. The beneficial rainfall that commenced in July, after a dry and notably warm spell in May and June, eased concerns regarding moisture levels, although it also contributed to increased disease pressure.
The substantial anticipated harvest is already impacting potato prices. Producer prices for early potatoes began 2025 at a considerably lower level compared to previous years. Current prices being paid to producers for table potatoes from the main harvest are approximately one-third lower than in 2024. Consumers have subsequently observed around a 15% decrease in the price of table potatoes in supermarkets compared to August 2024.
