Mexico City to Host the 2026 National Potato Congress: Competitiveness, Costs, Innovation and Marketing

Mexico City will host the 2026 National Potato Congress from 14 to 16 October at the Centro Banamex, bringing together growers, specialists, suppliers, buyers, distributors and industry representatives from across the country’s potato chain.

The three-day programme combines technical conferences, economic analysis, commercial networking and a trade exhibition of technologies and services. Organisers are positioning the event as a meeting point for every link in the chain, from the field to the point of sale.

A double anniversary

The 2026 edition coincides with the 35th anniversary of CONPAPA, the organisation that represents and coordinates the various players in the Mexican potato sector. It also marks the 20th National Congress of the Potato Chain, by now an established forum for debating the sector’s main production, economic and commercial challenges.

On the agenda

The main topics announced include:

• competitiveness across the chain;
• the evolution of production costs;
• technological innovation;
• crop health and plant protection;
• production and productivity;
• marketing and market access;
• business opportunities;
• the sector’s future challenges.

The aim is to connect technical know-how with the economic and commercial conditions Mexican growers are actually facing.

Costs and competitiveness

Rising prices for fertiliser, crop protection products, energy, irrigation, seed and labour are forcing growers to review their production systems and use resources more efficiently.

Competitiveness, however, is not measured by yield per hectare alone. Commercial quality, cost per tonne produced, losses at harvest and in storage, logistics and the ability to meet buyer requirements all feed into the equation. The congress will look at ways of improving these indicators and strengthening the grower’s position within the chain.

Innovation applied to the crop

Technology adoption forms the second major theme. Precision agriculture, digital monitoring, mechanisation, efficient irrigation systems and decision-support tools all offer room to optimise crop management.

Delegates will also hear about advances in varieties, crop health, plant nutrition, crop protection, storage and processing. Innovation is being framed not simply as buying machinery or digital tools, but as a way of producing more efficiently and responding faster to market shifts.

Marketing and business opportunities

The event will put growers in the same room as buyers, distributors and industry representatives, making it easier to exchange information on quality, volumes, prices and commercial requirements.

A parallel exhibition will give companies the chance to showcase inputs, equipment, services and technological solutions for potato production and processing. This commercial component is intended to turn the congress into a place where contacts, agreements and new business are made.

Over three days, the Mexican potato chain will look to combine production experience, technical knowledge and innovation in the push towards a more competitive and sustainable industry.

Venue: Centro Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico Dates: 14–16 October 2026

Source: Argenpapa, based on communications from the National Potato Congress and CONPAPA México.