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

联合国粮农组织食品价格指数*2026年3月平均为128.5点，较2月经修正后的水平上升3.0点（2.4%），连续第二个月环比上涨。所有商品类别（谷物、肉类、乳制品、植物油及食糖）的价格指数均不同程度上扬，既反映了基本市场供需状况，也体现了近东地区冲突升级引发的能源价格上涨所带来的连锁反应。

联合国粮农组织食品价格指数*2026年2月平均为125.3点，较1月修订后的水平上涨1.1点（0.9%）。谷物、肉类和植物油价格指数上涨，抵消了乳制品和食糖价格下跌的影响，推动总体指数在连续五个月下降后首次回升。总体而言，本月食品价格指数比去年同期低1.3点（1.0%），较2022年3月的历史高点更是大幅回落34.9点（21.8%）

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.