The 2025/2026 campaign marks a turning point for the French potato sector, according to France's national interprofessional body for the fresh potato sector (CNIPT) in a press release. The area devoted to warehouse potatoes continues to grow strongly: +25% since 2023 and +15% compared with 2024, reaching 197,338 hectares according to UNPT-CNIPT estimates.
"The field survey conducted in November by UNPT on behalf of CNIPT, involving a representative panel of 450 growers, confirms the direct effect of this expansion: national production is expected to reach 8,581,205 tons, which is 14.7% more than in 2024. This historically high volume (on top of additional production in other countries) largely explains the economic pressure currently being exerted on French and European markets (both fresh and processing).
This rise in production is based almost exclusively on an increase in acreage, encouraged by signals from a number of European manufacturers. In all, an extra million tons could have been harvested by the 2025/2026 season in France.
In terms of yield, the 2025 harvest is expected to average 43.5 t/ha nationally, and 45 t/ha in the UNPT/CNIPT panel areas (Picardy, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Champagne-Ardenne, Centre, Upper Normandy). These levels, stable compared with 2024, are in line with the ten-year average. The persistent stagnation in yields contrasts with the continuing increase in surface area, the only real source of production growth. This trend raises questions about the sector's ability to maintain or improve its performance in an increasingly uncertain climate and regulatory environment."
For more information:
UNPT
45 rue de Naples, 75008 PARIS
Phone: +33 (0) 1 44 69 42 45
[email protected]
