Sweet Potato Demand Surges in Spain as Weather Cuts National Supply

Spain’s sweet potato market continues to experience strong demand and very high prices as national supply decreases. According to Marta Guerra, of Plantas de Boniato Miguel Guerra, sweet potato cultivation has been experiencing a boom for a few years, driven by rising consumer interest and expanding culinary use.

Adverse Weather Strongly Reduces National Output

Marta Guerra, third-generation member of Plantas de Boniato Miguel Guerra:

"Adverse weather conditions, with phenomena such as droughts, prevented the sowing of sufficient sweet potatoes in the main producing areas, as there was too much moisture and even mud in the fields, so the sweet potato production has been considerably reduced."

"Fortunately, it hasn’t affected us significantly, and we’ve been able to continue producing plants."

Marta and her brother represent the third generation of this family business, located in Axarquía, Málaga. The nursery supplies sweet potato plants across Spain—Seville, Cádiz, Valencia, Barcelona, Alicante, and the Balearic Islands—as well as to Portugal, Poland, Hungary, and several African countries.

Boom in Demand Driven by Health Trends

Marta Guerra:

"For the last few years, sweet potato cultivation has been experiencing a boom, with growing consumer demand which has led to an increase in growers' interest in this product."

"More and more nutritionists are aware of its health benefits and are including it in diets, and it has become a very popular ingredient for many recipes. There are also an increasing number of loyal consumers who are willing to pay any price for the product."

Large-scale protected sweet potato cultivation at Plantas de Boniato Miguel Guerra, supporting nationwide demand amid reduced Spanish supply.

The nursery mainly produces the orange-fleshed Beauregard, Covington, and California varieties, which growers prefer due to their high, quick productivity and better resistance to diseases.

Healthy sweet potato plants developing in the Miguel Guerra nursery, which maintained stable production despite adverse weather conditions.

Spanish Sweet Potatoes Preferred Over Egyptian Product

Marta Guerra:

"In our case, Egypt's competition is going largely unnoticed. Also, there are many marketing companies that don't work with Egyptian products, as their large-scale retail clients don't want them."

"Generally speaking, this is due to them having a shorter shelf life and generating more waste than Spanish products, which are also produced in a cleaner way. The market and consumers pay attention to where products come from."

"Therefore, Spanish sweet potatoes serve as a complement to U.S. sweet potatoes in the off-season."

Sweet potato fields in Spain showing strong early-season growth despite national production challenges caused by drought and excess moisture.

Water Shortages Still a Major Concern

The company continues to grow slightly every year despite the challenge of water shortages.

Marta Guerra:

"It's becoming increasingly difficult to find land with sufficient water. We have just suffered a great drought in the Axarquia area, although the rains at the end of last year and this year have helped refill the reservoirs, and we will have enough water for this season and the next."