News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from the Netherlands

Egyptian sweet potatoes are gaining ground in Europe as demand rises. Short transit times, lower costs, and better storage boost supply. Dutch production struggles with low yields, while growing consumer interest and ready-to-eat trends drive market growth.

Royal HZPC Group posts a strong 2024/25: revenue €525 M (USD 603 M), tonnage 1 M+, net profit €17.1 M (USD 19.8 M). Growers get €10.90 (USD 12.5) dividend. New varieties excel in French‑fry, chips, export and fresh markets, with acreage expected to grow further.

On August 27, 2025, industry leaders met in the Netherlands for the conference Europe’s Place in a Changing Potato World, co-organised by Potato Europe, Europatat and World Potato Markets during Potato Europe 2025.

Developing countries like China and India are expanding potato processing, shifting from importers to exporters. Global frozen potato trade rose from USD 7.7B to USD 13.2B (2019–2024), with demand and per-capita consumption growing worldwide.

In 2025, over 83 thousand hectares of ware potatoes will be grown in The Netherlands. This is 8.6 percent more than last year. The last time the cultivation area of ​​ware potatoes exceeded 80 thousand hectares was in 2000.

Si bien el clima seco ha hecho posible avanzar en tiempo y forma con la siembra, si la falta de agua persiste el impacto sobre los cultivos podría tornarse en negativo.

Tanto en facturación como en cantidad de kilos vendidos, la empresa Holandesa anticipa una campaña histórica.

Seed potato breeding and trading company Royal HZPC Group, expects to achieve a strong result for the financial year 2024/2025 (July – June), with global total tonnage potentially surpassing the 1 million ton mark for the first time.

The Consumption Potatoes Working Group (WCA) of the Dutch Agricultural Union (NAV) has made an estimate of the cost price for the upcoming season (2025). In recent years (harvests of 2022, 2023, and 2024), potato growers have already faced a significant increase in costs.

Most potato farmers across the NEPG zone had a lot of luck during October and the beginning of November to finish harvesting, even though some of the harvesting was done in very difficult and expensive conditions.

The 2024 growing season – with the main harvest not yet done – was a difficult, stressful, risky and expensive one for potato growers across the NEPG in North-west Europe. New challenges appear as climate change takes its toll.

Gerard Backx, CEO of the Royal HZPC Group, says there is an imbalance in the Dutch seed potato market. He expects less volume of these potatoes to be available this season. Although there is a good tuber count in many areas, and the harvest should be successful, the wet summer significantly damaged some areas.

The forecasted price for seed potato growers of HZPC Holland for the 2023 harvest is EUR 50.70 (USD 50.20) per 100 kilos. This price is more than 35% higher than the price of the 2022 harvest.

Demand for EU potato supplies remains strong, but supplies are tightening.

Seed potato acreage is shrinking in the Netherlands, Germany, and France.

In season 2023, potato growers in North-western Europe were confronted with difficult weather conditions, a high disease pressure and rising costs.

The Dutch Farmers Organisation (NAV) has again calculated the expected cost price of consumption potatoes for the coming season. The cost shows a slight increase compared to expected cost price for the 2023 harvest.

Due to abundant rainfall, a lot of potatoes in North-western Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France) have not yet been harvested. The lifting period was too short to get the potatoes to the stores in good conditions.