Hungary: Three Counties Grow 57% of Potatoes as Output Falls to 218,549 Tonnes
Hungary harvested 218,549 tonnes of potatoes on 7,719 hectares in 2025. Three southern and eastern counties grow most of the crop, and domestic output covers only 40–50% of demand.
Hungary produced 218,549 tonnes of potatoes in 2025, according to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH). The harvested area was 7,719 hectares and the yield was 24.7 tonnes per hectare. In 2024, the crop was 234,350 tonnes from 7,950 hectares. Eurostat lists 221,000 tonnes from 7,800 hectares for 2025.
Production is concentrated in the south and east
KSH county data for 2024 show a strong regional focus. Csongrád-Csanád county grew 62,406 tonnes on 2,223 hectares. Bács-Kiskun grew 42,804 tonnes on 1,426 hectares. Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg grew 27,441 tonnes on 1,127 hectares. Together, these three counties produced about 57% of the national crop.
Other regions have almost left the crop. The regional newspaper Tolnai Népújság reported that Tolna county had 749 hectares of potatoes in 2000 and only 7 hectares in 2025.
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A long decline
In 2000, Hungary grew 863,500 tonnes of potatoes on 46,700 hectares, according to Eurostat. Since then, output has fallen by about three quarters and the area by more than 80%. The trade portal Agrárágazat, citing KSH data, says the area was 50,000–60,000 hectares in the 1990s.
Imports fill the gap
Tolnai Népújság reported that Hungarian production now covers only 40–50% of domestic consumption. France, Germany and the Netherlands are the main suppliers. Agrárágazat says imports from Egypt and Israel fill the market in winter and spring. The seed base is very small: only about 80 hectares are used for seed potato multiplication, according to Tolnai Népújság.
2026: another sharp fall
Agrárágazat reported in September 2026 that the 2026 area is about 5,065 hectares. It cited Zsolt Polgár, director of the MATE potato research institute in Keszthely, and said that May frosts and drought could cut output to 87,000–100,000 tonnes. Eurostat lists 6,520 hectares for 2026.
Why it matters
Hungary is now a net importer of potatoes. The crop is concentrated in a few counties, so one drought in the Great Plain can hit most of the national supply. If the 2026 estimates are right, imports will need to rise again in the 2026/27 season.
For exporters in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Poland, Hungary is a growing market. For Hungarian growers, irrigation and storage are now basic conditions for staying in the crop.
Photo: Potato tubers in Lónyaytelep, Hungary (illustrative). DenesFeri / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
