Kartoffeln News, 19/Dec/2025

1. market development & supply situation

Germany & Europe - present stocks & assortments

• The market continues to be dominated by an abundant supply of ware potatoes, mainly storable goods. The range was also supplemented by foreign lots, including Italian Sieglinde and Cypriot varieties. The quality of the produce is generally good, with regional exceptions such as Hamburg, where individual varieties were not entirely convincing in terms of taste.

• Christmas sales promotions have boosted demand slightly, particularly in farm stores and the food retail sector. Nevertheless, there is still an oversupply.

Price trends

• Wholesale prices for table potatoes remain at a very low level. Even for high-quality batches, price increases are barely discernible as supply exceeds demand.

• The futures exchanges are also showing little movement; there is currently little trading. freshplaza.de

Industrial goods

• Demand for industrial potatoes, e.g. for the production of chips and potato chips, remains weak - well below expectations, as processing plants are not working to capacity.

2. broader context: oversupply and market structure

Several market observers describe 2025 as a phase of significant overproduction with global implications:

• Europe has achieved strong area expansion and record harvests in 2025 - especially in the core area (Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany). This has led to a strong oversupply, which pushes down free market prices and accumulates stocks in warehouses.

• As a result, free market prices are falling significantly, stocks are building up and large quantities are being diverted to animal feed, biogas or composting if they cannot find a buyer.

This "Potato Flood 2025" situation acts like a systemic shock in which production and demand are decoupled in the short term.

3. demand & export situation

• Exports remain weak in many European markets - as neighboring countries have also seen large yields, there is a lack of demand from abroad.

• Pre-Christmas campaigns in the domestic market have provided selective demand stimuli, but they are not strong enough to reduce the surplus in the long term.