Europe: the overproduction crisis

Farmers across Europe are protesting amid one of the most abundant potato harvests in recent years, as the unintended consequences of U.S. tariffs and rising international competition are pushing prices downward.

More than twenty tonnes of potatoes were unloaded in front of the National Assembly in Paris last month, forming piles accompanied by French and union flags, in a visible display of the sector’s frustration.

Denis Lavenant, a farmer from the Yvelines region:

"It costs us less to give these potatoes away to Parisians than to store them ourselves."

In Belgium, farmers also handed out potatoes to passers-by on a highway in Flanders, along with leaflets denouncing the collapse in prices and European Union free trade agreements.

François-Xavier Broutin, Director of Economic Affairs at CNIPT:

"The sector is facing a real challenge this year. The imbalance between supply and demand."

French fry trade wars

Increasing global competition in sectors such as frozen French fries has hit European producers hard.

The North-Western European Potato Growers (NEPG) network, which brings together Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, has warned for months about overproduction.

In these four countries, which account for roughly two-thirds of European production, the 2025 harvest is approaching 30 million tonnes, a 10% increase compared to the previous year.

François-Xavier Broutin:

"What’s unusual this season is that the harvest has been abundant in all the major producing countries."

He added that Germany, Europe’s leading producer, is recording its best harvest in 25 years.

However, with demand weakening across the continent, this increase in supply has created concern rather than celebration.

According to NEPG, the drop in demand is due to several factors: reduced consumption of frozen French fries following tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump; a strong euro against the dollar, which hurts exports; and increased production from competing countries such as China, India, Egypt, and Turkey.

The growers’ network notes that over the past two years China and India have multiplied their frozen French fry exports to neighboring countries tenfold, while European Union exports have declined.

François-Xavier Broutin:

"Global demand continues to grow."

Farmers urged to reconsider planting

Faced with rising supply and falling prices, European farmers are dealing with strong market volatility.

At the end of last year, the NEPG network asked farmers whether they were prepared to produce while losing money.

With the March–April planting season approaching, there are clear signs that growers may reconsider how much land to dedicate to potato cultivation.

In France, the UNPT is denouncing a decline in the number of contracts — which guarantee pre-negotiated prices — as well as a 25% drop in the contract prices being offered.

According to the organization, the price per tonne of the Fontane variety could fall to around 130 euros in 2026, compared to 180 euros the previous year.