“According to a survey carried out by the National Union of French Potato Producers (UNPT), the 2023 harvest of ware potatoes (fresh and processing) is expected to reach 43.6 tons per hectare. Despite considerable disparity between outlets and varieties, these numbers indicate a much better national production after the catastrophic harvest of 2022 (39 t/ha). However, yields are expected to be slightly lower than the 10-year average.
The 2023 season has been marked by highly complex weather conditions, oscillating between cold, abundant rain and drought, resulting in significant delays in planting, unprecedented emergence/growth problems, physiological disorders on tubers and strong pressure from mildew in some production basins.
It is still too early to predict the total volume of production for 2023, as harvesting has only just begun, but quality may be variable given the heterogeneity between varieties, planting dates, dry matter content, health status and the presence of physiological disorders. All these factors could potentially have an impact on the final balance of marketable production and affect potato supplies in the coming months.
All these elements show that there will in fact be no surplus of potatoes to supply the French and European markets until the next harvest in 2024. The European potato surface areas in 2023 are lower than in 2020, although the demand has increased by almost 2 million tons!
This situation underlines the urgent need to reinforce the attractiveness, structuring and production potential of potatoes in France for the 2024 campaign.
UNPT will remain extremely attentive to any developments, whether commercial or regulatory, that could hinder this dynamic of sustainable and harmonious growth of potato production in France.”
For more information:
Union Nationale des Producteurs de Pommes de Terre
45 rue de Naples, 75008 Paris
Phone: +33 (0)1 44 69 42 40
unpt.fr