Brazil: São Paulo Winter Potato Crop Falls 56% as Planted Area Shrinks

São Paulo state will harvest far fewer winter potatoes this year. IBGE, the national statistics agency, estimates the third-season crop at 115,241 tonnes. In 2025 it was 260,888 tonnes. The fall is 55.8%.

The data come from the August Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA). State figures are in the SIDRA database. The 2025 base is the final LSPA estimate of December 2025.

Area was cut by more than half

Growers in São Paulo planted 3,187 ha for the winter crop. A year earlier they planted 7,557 ha. That is a cut of 57.8%.

Yields did not cause the drop. Our calculation gives about 36.2 t/ha in 2026, against about 34.5 t/ha in 2025.

Minas Gerais, the largest producing state, also planted less. Its winter crop is estimated at 403,036 t, down 17.5%. Area fell 20.4%, from 12,989 ha to 10,343 ha.

Bahia kept its winter area at 2,650 ha. Its crop is stable at 114,607 t.

Second crop also smaller

The second season shows the same picture in most states:

• Minas Gerais: 563,948 t, down 6.9%.
• São Paulo: 326,900 t, down 18.4%; area down 24.5%.
• Paraná: 298,700 t, down 3.4%.
• Rio Grande do Sul: 46,040 t, down 33.3%.
• Santa Catarina: 14,477 t, down 10.8%.

At national level, IBGE expects 4.20 million tonnes in 2026, down 8.2%. The winter crop is 893,762 t, down 19.1%.

Why it matters

São Paulo and Minas Gerais supply the big Southeast markets in the dry season. The main winter area includes Vargem Grande do Sul in São Paulo. A crop half as large in São Paulo reduces local supply for washing and packing plants and for chip processors.

The cut is a planting decision, not a yield loss. Buyers who relied on São Paulo winter potatoes will need more volume from Minas Gerais, Bahia or other regions.

Photo: A potato plantation in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, historical photograph (illustrative). Museu Paulista da USP / Wikimedia Commons, public domain