Czech Republic: Potato Imports Stay Near 200,000 Tonnes a Year Even After a 30 t/ha Harvest
The Czech Republic imported 197,678 tonnes of fresh potatoes in 2025, even though farms harvested 734,580 tonnes at 30.4 t/ha. The potato area has fallen by 65% since 2000.
The Czech Republic imports about 200,000 tonnes of fresh potatoes a year. Eurostat trade data for HS code 0701 show imports of 197,678 tonnes in 2025 and 202,960 tonnes in 2024. Exports were much smaller: 36,564 tonnes in 2025 and 40,283 tonnes in 2024.
The farm sector harvested 734,580 tonnes of potatoes in 2025 on 24,170 hectares, according to Eurostat. The average yield was 30.39 tonnes per hectare, close to the 2011 record of 30.45 tonnes. A simple balance of the 2025 harvest and fresh-potato trade suggests that Czech potatoes covered about 82% of supply. This estimate leaves out processed products.
From 69,000 hectares to 24,000
In 2000, Czech farms grew potatoes on 69,200 hectares and harvested 1.48 million tonnes, Eurostat data show. The area has since fallen by about 65%. Most of the decline happened before 2012. Since then, the area has stayed between about 21,000 and 24,000 hectares. Yields rose from 24.56 tonnes per hectare in 2010 to around 28–30 tonnes in recent good years. For 2026, Eurostat lists 23,520 hectares.
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Home gardens still matter. The Ministry of Agriculture (MZe) says potatoes were grown on 27,664 hectares in 2022, of which 21,680 hectares were on farms and 5,984 hectares in households. The total harvest was 793,154 tonnes. Of this, 57,008 tonnes were seed potatoes and 35,390 tonnes early potatoes.
Starch and consumption
Starch is an important outlet. In 2022, processors used 161,159 tonnes of potatoes to make 33,156 tonnes of potato starch, the ministry says. The average starch content was 17.6%.
Consumption is stable. The Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) reported that Czechs ate 68.1 kg of potatoes per person in 2023, a little less than a year earlier.
Why it matters
The Czech Republic produces most of its potatoes, but it depends on imports for a large and steady part of supply. Even in the strong 2025 season, imports were close to 200,000 tonnes.
The 2026 harvest is much weaker. This means import demand is likely to rise in the 2026/27 season. For foreign exporters, the Czech market will be important this winter. For Czech growers, the yield gap between good and bad years is the main risk, so irrigation and storage are key investments.
Photo: A potato field in Czechia (illustrative). Juan de Vojníkov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
