NOAA has confirmed El Niño, expected to strengthen through 2026–27. The global potato industry is monitoring impacts on yields, disease pressure, processing quality, storage, and supply chains while accelerating climate resilience efforts.

World Potato Congress Inc. will host a June 18 webinar previewing the 13th World Potato Congress in Kenya. The session will highlight the Congress program, field days, technical tours and key industry initiatives ahead of the October event.

FAO announced International Day of Potato 2026 theme 'Where potatoes grow, livelihoods flourish', highlighting role of potatoes in food security and farmer livelihoods. Focus on smallholders, resilient value chains, climate and pest challenges.

World Potato Congress Inc. will host a webinar on May 15, 2026, on planning for the International Day of the Potato, featuring FAO’s Makiko Taguchi and potato expert Dr André Devaux.

Stakeholders in the potato sector are calling for defined and time-bound policy measures aimed at strengthening farm incomes, expanding processing capacity and supporting export development.

The International Potato Center (CIP) and the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, signed a cooperation agreement in Shenzhen on March 19, 2026, establishing the CIP & AGIS-CAAS Joint Laboratory

The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 128.5 points in March 2026, up 3.0 points (2.4 percent) from its revised February level, marking a second consecutive month of increase.

Across the Andean highlands and southern Chile, rural women safeguard the diversity of native potatoes. Their work sustains biodiversity that feeds communities and preserves cultural heritage across generations.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 125.1 points in November 2025, down 1.2 percent from October and marking a third consecutive monthly decline. Lower prices for dairy products, meat, sugar and vegetable oils outweighed an increase in the cereal index.