Asia has crashed prices on the global French fries market

Due to the expansion of Chinese and Indian producers, companies from the United States and Europe are forced to change strategies and reduce production rates.

This is reported by Potato News Today.

The global frozen French fries market, estimated at $17-25 billion, is experiencing structural changes due to the emergence of new players. Producers from China and India offer prices 30% lower than European or American counterparts. This allowed them to rapidly capture market shares in Asia. For example, imports of Chinese products to Japan increased by 65% ​​per year, while supplies from Belgium and the Netherlands decreased significantly.

Traditional market leaders in Northwestern Europe found themselves in a difficult situation. In 2025, the area under French fries in the region increased by 60 thousand hectares, which led to a record harvest and a surplus of raw materials. But because of overstocked cold storage facilities and high energy costs, processors are unable to take advantage of low raw potato prices to compete. Instead, companies in the US are deliberately reducing their planting area in 2026 to avoid a market collapse.

“This shift is not temporary, but structural: a new phase in which price competition and the explosive growth of exports from low-cost countries are rewriting the rules,” say analysts at DCA Market Intelligence.

Despite the price wars, global demand for processed potatoes is growing by 4% annually, driven by the growth of fast-food chains and the popularity of air fryers. To survive, giants such as Lamb Weston, McCain and Aviko are investing in building plants in Brazil, Egypt and India, where logistics and labor are cheaper.

Tags: prices