Poland cuts potato acreage after last year’s record harvest

Polish potato growers have reduced planted area by about 12% following the record harvest of 2025. The area under potatoes declined from 210,000 hectares to around 185,000 hectares, a move expected to help prevent another oversupply and sharp price decline.

According to FreshPlaza, Poland harvested around 6.8 mln tons of potatoes last year, up 15% from the previous season. Bugaj Management Board member Łukasz Ostrowicz said that bumper crops across other European Union countries also created an oversupplied market, pushing prices below profitable levels for many growers.

Potato production is expected to decline in the 2026 season, although the final outcome will depend on yields. Ostrowicz noted that extreme weather has become the biggest challenge this year and may affect crop quality.

At the end of June and the beginning of July, Poland experienced temperatures of 35–40°C during the critical tuber development stage. This was followed by heavy rainfall and cool nights, creating additional production risks and complicating field operations.

Bugaj also noted that unstable weather is making potato supplies to retail chains less predictable, requiring more careful planning of procurement and storage. Nevertheless, Ostrowicz believes the sharp price collapse seen last season is unlikely to be repeated this year.

Tags: potato, Poland