Germany is set to see a significant decline in potato production in 2026. According to preliminary official data, the country’s farmers are expected to harvest around 10.4 million tonnes, almost a quarter less than last year’s record crop and 13% below the 2020–2025 average, EastFruit reports, citing FruchtPortal.
Germany harvested around 13.9 million tonnes of potatoes in 2025, the largest crop since 1990. This season, production has been negatively affected by a delayed start to fieldwork following heavy rainfall in February, as well as periods of heat and drought during the summer.
The main decline was recorded in yields. The national average is estimated at around 38 tonnes per hectare, 11% below the multi-year average and 15% lower than the 2025 result.
Read also: Europe Could Lose More Than 3.5 Million Tonnes of Potatoes Due to Heat and Drought
At the same time, the area planted to potatoes has also decreased. In 2026, it is estimated at approximately 268,300 hectares, down 11% from the previous year and around 2% below the six-year average.
Three major potato-producing states — Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria — account for around three-quarters of Germany’s total potato-growing area. However, potato acreage has also declined in all three states this year.
Despite the lower production, no significant potato shortage is currently expected on the German market. The country’s high level of self-sufficiency and an expected balance between supply and demand suggest that market supplies and consumer prices should remain relatively stable in the medium term.
That said, the current harvest estimate remains preliminary. So far, results from only 49% of the nearly 631 representative plots used to assess the potato harvest have been processed. Therefore, the final figures may change once the survey is completed.
The use of the site materials is free if there is a direct and open for search engines hyperlink to a specific publication of the East-Fruit.com website.
