Poll
Russia and Kazakhstan: Half of Surveyed Farms Report Lower Potato Yields in 2026
Every second grower assessed the crop below last year: early results of the potatoway “2026 Potato Harvest” survey (n=40, Russia and Kazakhstan).
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Europe
France: 70,000 Attend Arras French Fries Championship as Sector Backs Odd-Shaped Potatoes
At the fourth World French Fry Championship in Arras on 26 September, the interprofession CNIPT asked consumers to accept smaller or misshapen potatoes after heat cut local yields.
Europe
Switzerland: Potato Harvest Falls to Record Low of 333,000 Tonnes, Imports to Rise
Switzerland has harvested its smallest potato crop on record: 333,000 tonnes in 2026, almost 20 percent below the 2020–2025 average of 411,000 tonnes, according to the trade organisation Swisspatat. The country will need to import around 130,000…
Europe
EU Potato Market Splits in Two as Spot Prices Leave 2026 Contracts Behind
Spot prices for processing potatoes in north-west Europe have left contract levels far behind. Fontane was quoted at EUR 20 per 100 kg on the Belgian Belgapom exchange on September 25, and PotatoNL ranged between EUR 21…
Fertilizers and pesticides
Russia: Cold, Cloudy Weather Slows Diquat Desiccation as EU Growers Manage Without It
Overcast weather stretches the kill time of contact desiccants to weeks, Russian growers say, while EU farms have worked without diquat since 2020.
Harvesting
Poland: GUS Sees 2026 Potato Crop at 5.9 Million Tonnes, Down 15.4%
Statistics Poland estimates the 2026 potato harvest at about 5.9 million tonnes, 15.4% below 2025, with an average yield of 313 dt/ha.
News
Nizhny Novgorod’s First Agro-Aggregators Reshape Potato Supply Chains, Linking 38 Farmers to Federal Retailers
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast has launched its first two agro-aggregators—modern consumer cooperation centres designed to connect small farmers with large federal retail chains. The first opened in the village of Abramovo, Arzamassky District, run by individual entrepreneur Daniel…
New potato variety
Global: Resistant Varieties Keep Late Blight Below 2% in Trials Where Susceptible Crops Reach 78–93%
Trials in Kenya and Bangladesh show resistant varieties such as Kenya Mpya, Alouette and Sarpo Mira can hold late blight to very low levels without fungicide, while European growers still spray eight to 10 times a season.
Processing
Belgium: Agristo Targets 1.4 Million Tonnes by 2030, Adds Fourth Line at Wielsbeke
Belgian fry maker Agristo says a fourth line at Wielsbeke starts in November, fries production in India follows in 2027 and a US plant in 2029.
News
Penza’s “Razdolye” Harvests Record Early Potato Crop with AI and Irrigation, Yielding Over 600 Centners per Hectare
The "Razdolye" agro-firm in Bogoslovka, Penza Oblast, has achieved a rare early harvest of young potatoes in early July 2026, a feat attributed to a combination of favourable weather, its own irrigation system, and artificial intelligence monitoring…
Harvesting
Kazakhstan: Pavlodar Farm-Gate Potato Prices Drop to 80–110 Tenge/kg as Union Expects 3.3 Mt Crop
Farm-gate potato prices in Pavlodar fell to 80-110 tenge/kg and some farmers sell below cost, while the growers' union expects about 3.3 Mt against demand of about 2 Mt.
News
Altai Farmer Reports Sharp Yield Drop in 2026 but Guaranteed Demand Under PepsiCo Contract
Shukhrat Kurbanov, a farmer from the Kosikhinsky district of the Altai region, shared the results of a difficult season in an interview with "Altayskaya Niva" in September 2026. Yields fell sharply: while the farm harvested around 35…