France: Growers Warn Undelivered Contract Potatoes Will Not Be Paid
French potato leaders say drought created no winners: seed yields fell to 12 t/ha on dry land, and growers short of contract volumes will not be paid for missing tonnes.
The 2026 drought created no winners in the French potato chain, sector leaders say. Seed growers, ware growers, processors and consumers all face losses. The farm weekly Le Betteravier français gathered their views on 23 September.
Seed yields collapse without water
Seed potato growers started the season well, said Bernard Quéré, director of the seed growers federation FN3PT. Then drought and heatwaves cut yields.
In Normandy, non-irrigated seed plots yielded only 12 tonnes per hectare. Irrigated plots on the same farm reached 38 to 40 t/ha.
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“It is impossible to know the future demand for seed,” Quéré said. It is also unclear how much area will be planted in France and the EU in spring 2027.
Virus pressure adds a certification risk. Aphids and leafhoppers arrived early. According to Quéré, symptoms of potato virus Y (PVY) are visible, and transmission of leafroll virus (PLRV) is occurring.
Higher seed prices may not reach growers. Many seed contracts were signed in winter 2025–2026. The Egalim law allows price revisions when production costs rise.
Contract growers face a double loss
Ware potatoes will sell more easily this year. However, prices will not fully offset yield losses, the article said.
“Only a minority of producers will benefit from the price situation,” said Alain Dequeker, secretary general of the growers union UNPT. The result depends on how much each grower is tied to processors or collectors by contracts.
Florence Rossillon, director of the fresh potato board CNIPT, cited the rural code. Exceptional climatic events exempt producers from volume penalties. However, contract commitments remain.
Dequeker warned that potatoes not delivered because of low yields will not be paid. This will hit farm profitability hard. Tubers below the required size also risk penalties.
Irrigation reached its limits
Even irrigated growers were disappointed. Their equipment was not designed for five heatwaves above 35°C in one season. Starch potato growers are among the biggest losers, with weak yields and sharply lower prices.
Why it matters
Contracts protect growers against low prices, but not against low yields. This season shows the limits of the model. Contract terms on force majeure, size penalties and price revision are likely to dominate talks for 2027. Seed buyers should also watch virus test results closely.
Photo: Mechanised potato harvest in Brittany, France (illustrative). Thesupermat / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
