Germany: Preliminary 2026 Potato Harvest Estimate at 10.43 Million Tonnes, Almost 25% Below Last Season
Germany's 2026 potato harvest is estimated at approximately 10.43 million tonnes, according to preliminary official figures published by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMLEH) on September 28, 2026 and cited by the German Potato Trade Association (DKHV). That would be a decline of almost 25% compared with last year's harvest of 13.9 million tonnes, and roughly 13% below the 2020–2025 average.
The cultivated area is put at 268,300 hectares, 11% less than in 2025, while the average yield is estimated at 38.87 tonnes per hectare, around 15% lower than a year earlier.
According to the BMLEH, the main reasons for the lower harvest are the delayed start to the growing season caused by heavy rainfall in February, followed by periods of heat and drought during the summer. Wet fields pushed planting back, and the summer stress shortened the bulking phase, when tubers put on most of their weight.
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The figures are preliminary rather than completed harvest statistics. At the time of publication, only 49% of the approximately 631 sample plots had been evaluated, so the final harvest figures may still change.
On the price outlook, the DKHV prefers not to draw conclusions at this stage.
It is still very early in the season to make reliable assessments of market developments and prices, the association notes, adding that it will revisit the figures as more reliable information becomes available.
The data were provided by the DKHV in response to questions from POTATOES NEWS in connection with the 73rd Kartoffel-Herbstbörse, the association's annual autumn gathering of the German potato trade.
If the preliminary estimate is confirmed, Germany's 2026 crop would be one of the smallest of the past decade. Final official figures from the BMLEH are expected once the evaluation of the sample plots is complete.
Source: DKHV (German Potato Trade Association) Cover image: DKHV logo
