Preliminary data from the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture indicates the potential for a potato harvest in 2025 that could be the best in over two decades. Initial assessments suggest a yield of approximately 13.4 million tons.
This anticipated harvest would represent a 5.3% increase compared to the already strong performance of 2024 and a significant 17% above the multi-year average. The last time a harvest of this magnitude was achieved was in the year 2000.
Contributing to this positive outlook is an expansion of potato cultivation area. The acreage has grown by 6.7% compared to the previous year, reaching 301,000 hectares – a level unseen since the start of the millennium.
Beyond the increased planting area, the anticipated record harvest is also being driven by strong yields per hectare. The average yield across Germany is projected to be around 44 tons per hectare, slightly below the exceptionally good year of 2024 (a decrease of 1%), but still exceeding the multi-year average by nearly 5%.
Favorable growing conditions throughout 2025 have been crucial to the promising forecast. A sufficiently wet winter was followed by a warm, dry spring, allowing for optimal planting conditions and adherence to the usual planting schedule. While some regions experienced periods of dryness, early potato harvests proceeded smoothly and irrigation was utilized where feasible. Following an extended dry and warm period in May and June, rainfall in July eased concerns about moisture levels, although it did increase pressure from crop diseases.
The robust potato harvest is already impacting pricing. Producer prices for early potatoes launched in 2025 at a considerably lower level than in previous years. Farmers are currently receiving approximately one-third less for their processing potatoes compared to the prior year. Consumers have also observed a reduction, with supermarket prices for potatoes roughly 15% lower in August 2025 compared to August 2024.
