Bahia’s Mucugê reclaims top spot in Brazil for potato production value

A municipality in north-eastern Brazil has once again produced the country’s most valuable potato crop, even though it ranks only second by volume. According to official 2025 data, Mucugê, in the state of Bahia, harvested 229,367 tonnes of potatoes worth R$ 543 million.

The figures come from the 2025 edition of the Municipal Agricultural Production survey (Produção Agrícola Municipal, PAM). It is published annually by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and was released on 17 September 2026.

Second on volume, first on value

By tonnage, Mucugê remains behind Perdizes, in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, the traditional heartland of Brazilian potato growing. By value, however, the Bahian municipality returned to first place nationally. It did so even though the value of its crop fell by 5% compared with 2024.

Dividing value by volume gives an implied average of around R$ 2,367 per tonne, or roughly R$ 2.37 per kilogram. This is an editorial calculation from the headline figures, not an observed market price.

A northern outlier in a southern crop

Brazilian potato production has historically been concentrated in the cooler south and south-east. Minas Gerais alone harvested 1.5 million tonnes in 2025, or 33.2% of the national crop. On that basis, total Brazilian output can be estimated at around 4.5 million tonnes.

Bahia is the exception. Its potatoes are grown in the Chapada Diamantina, an upland plateau in the centre of the state whose altitude offsets its tropical latitude. The state as a whole produced 437,305 tonnes in 2025, worth about R$ 1.051 billion. That makes Bahia fifth nationally by volume but third by value, which suggests its crop commands a higher value per tonne than that of several larger-producing states.

Production within Bahia is highly concentrated. Mucugê accounts for roughly 52% of the state’s potato volume and value, by our calculation. The neighbouring municipality of Ibicoara added a further R$ 314.6 million, so the two together generate more than 80% of Bahia’s potato value. According to Argentine industry portal Argenpapa, the region is characterised by intensive, irrigated production and a high level of technology.

A consistent performer

Mucugê’s value leadership is not new. In the 2020 PAM survey, it produced 234,630 tonnes worth R$ 483.3 million and again ranked first by value and second by volume, behind Perdizes. Over the five years to 2025, its output was broadly flat (−2%), while the nominal value of its crop rose by about 12%.

A note on the data

In PAM methodology, “production value” is the quantity produced multiplied by the weighted average price received by farmers. It excludes freight, fees and taxes. The figure is therefore neither farm revenue nor profit, and all year-on-year comparisons are nominal, with no adjustment for inflation.

IBGE also broadened the range of crops covered by the survey in 2025. Potatoes were already included, so the crop-level figures are comparable. State-level agricultural totals, however, should be compared with earlier years with caution.