Argentine consumer potato price up 167% year on year despite September dip — five times general inflation
The consumer price of potatoes registered a monthly fall of 3.3 per cent in Greater Buenos Aires in September, but remained far above the level observed a year earlier, Argenpapa reports, citing the Consumer Price Index published by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC).
The kilogram traded at an average of ARS 2,201.11, down from ARS 2,275.91 recorded in August. Despite September’s retreat, the retail price of potatoes accumulated an increase of close to 167 per cent against the same month of 2025 — meaning its value nearly tripled in the course of a year.
The year-on-year evolution of the potato widely outpaced general inflation, which reached 33.4 per cent over the last twelve months. Food and non-alcoholic beverages, for their part, rose 35.1 per cent year on year. In other words, the potato has outrun the general price level fivefold and the food index nearly fivefold — a striking figure even by the standards of Argentine food inflation.
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The official survey showed important differences in the average price of potatoes between the country’s regions. In Greater Buenos Aires the kilogram stood at ARS 2,201.11, while in the Pampeana region it reached ARS 2,133.69. The Northeast registered ARS 2,239.09; the Northwest, ARS 1,888.29; Cuyo, ARS 2,245.89; and Patagonia reached ARS 3,095.31. Patagonia showed the highest value in the country — approximately 64 per cent above the Northwest, the lowest regional reference, a gap that reflects the freight cost of moving a heavy, perishable staple to Argentina’s southern extremes.
During September, the potato was among the food products that reduced their price in Greater Buenos Aires. Lettuce also fell, dropping 11.5 per cent, bananas declined 8.5 per cent and firm yoghurt 5 per cent. In the opposite direction, round tomatoes rose 34.1 per cent, onions 24.6 per cent, sweet potatoes 12.5 per cent and anco squash 12.4 per cent.
The Consumer Price Index registered a monthly increase of 1.9 per cent in September, accumulated 23.6 per cent since the beginning of 2026 and reached a year-on-year variation of 33.4 per cent. The food and non-alcoholic beverages division rose 2 per cent during the month. Within seasonal products, the main increases concentrated in vegetables, tubers and pulses.
INDEC stresses that the values reported correspond to average prices surveyed at the consumer level and do not directly represent the quotations received by producers or the prices registered in wholesale markets — a methodological note that matters this year, when farmgate prices have swung even more violently than retail ones.
The consumer-level data completes the picture of Argentina’s 2026 potato rollercoaster: after a season of overproduction that crushed grower margins, reduced plantings have now pushed retail prices to nearly three times last year’s level. September’s 3.3 per cent dip offers modest relief, but with the new crop’s area down double digits, Argentine households should not expect the era of cheap potatoes to return quickly.
Source: Argenpapa
