Cyprus: Potato Exports of 62,903 Tonnes Equal Almost Four-Fifths of the 80,000-Tonne Harvest
Cyprus exported 62,903 tonnes of potatoes in 2025, while the harvest was 80,000 tonnes on 3,800 hectares, Eurostat data show. CYSTAT valued potato exports at €47.4 million in 2024.
Cyprus exported 62,903 tonnes of potatoes in 2025, according to Eurostat trade data for fresh potatoes (HS code 0701). The same year, the island harvested 80,000 tonnes on 3,800 hectares, Eurostat crop statistics show. This means that exports were equal to almost four-fifths of the harvest.
Imports are small by comparison: 5,842 tonnes in 2025 and 7,271 tonnes in 2024.
Export value
Potatoes are one of the island’s main domestic export products. The Statistical Service of Cyprus (CYSTAT) reports potato exports worth €47.4 million in 2024 and €45.2 million in 2023. In both years, this was about 2% of the value of domestic exports.
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Export volumes have been stable in recent years at about 63,000–64,000 tonnes. They were higher before: 72,602 tonnes in 2019 and 86,469 tonnes in 2021.
Area and yield
In 2000, Cyprus grew potatoes on 6,500 hectares and harvested 117,000 tonnes, Eurostat data show. Since then, the area has fallen by about 42% and output by about 32%. In 2025, the average yield was 21.05 tonnes per hectare, a little lower than 22.10 tonnes in 2024. The highest yield in the series was 29.72 tonnes per hectare in 2006.
The official numbers for recent years have been revised. In August 2024, the business news site CBN, citing Eurostat, reported 95,000 tonnes for 2023 and 90,000 tonnes for 2022. The current Eurostat database shows 80,150 tonnes for 2023 and 85,160 tonnes for 2022.
Why it matters
Cyprus is a small producer, but a real exporter. Most of its potatoes leave the island, so the sector depends on prices in export markets. When those prices are low, growers have few local options, because the home market is small.
The trend is also a warning. The area has fallen steadily, yields have not risen, and export volumes are below the levels of 2019–2021. For buyers abroad, Cyprus remains a steady but smaller supplier. For local growers, the main challenge is to keep yields up on a shrinking area.
Photo: Red soil of the Kokkinochoria potato area, Cyprus (illustrative). Laborec / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
