Poland: Wholesale Potato Prices Rise 62% Year on Year as the Harvest Heads for About 6 Million Tonnes
Key takeaways
- 62% is the yearly rise in Polish wholesale potato prices
- 26% is the price increase over one month to mid-September
- 6 million t is the first harvest estimate, down from 7 Mt
- 188,000–190,000 ha of potatoes, down from about 214,000
Why it matters
- For farmers
- Store good-quality potatoes carefully; an institute expert expects prices to keep rising as quality stock becomes scarce.
- For processors
- Budget for higher raw-material costs this season and secure volumes early, as the crop is about one million tonnes smaller.
- For traders
- Expect less Polish surplus for export than in 2025 and firm domestic demand from retail chains.
60-second summary
Poland's potato market has swung from surplus to shortage within a year. Wholesale buyers paid 1.27 zloty a kilo in the middle of September, up roughly a quarter on August and by close to two thirds on the same point in 2025. Behind the jump is a smaller crop: the agricultural economics institute IERiGŻ sees about 6 million tonnes from 188,000–190,000 hectares, compared with 7 million tonnes and some 214,000 hectares last season. Demand has also firmed this year, helped by a spring retail campaign for Polish potatoes, rising exports and steady use by distilleries. An institute analyst expects further gains as good stock runs short. Growers with sound storage stand to gain most, while packers and processors face higher raw-material costs. The price data come from one magazine report, and the harvest figure is an early estimate that may still change.
Potato prices in Poland are rising fast after last year’s oversupply. In mid-September, potatoes sold for 1.27 zloty per kg on wholesale markets. That is 26% more than a month earlier and 62% more than a year earlier. The farm magazine top agrar Polska published the figures on 24 September.
The price rise follows a smaller crop. According to the same report, potatoes were grown on 188,000–190,000 hectares in Poland this year. In 2025 the area was about 214,000 hectares. The first harvest estimate is about 6 million tonnes, against 7 million tonnes last year. The estimates come from the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics in Warsaw (IERiGŻ). The farm portal farmer.pl reported similar numbers on 12 September.
An expert of the institute, Wiesław Dzwonkowski, told farmer.pl that prices should keep rising. According to him, potatoes of good quality will become scarce as the season goes on.
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Demand is also changing. According to top agrar Polska, a promotion campaign for Polish potatoes in May increased sales in retail chains. The chains in the campaign sold almost 30% more Polish potatoes than a year earlier. In one chain, sales of Polish potatoes in May were more than 3.4 million kg, 24% more than a year before.
Exports have grown as well. In 2025, Polish potato exports were almost four times higher than in 2022, according to the magazine. Industrial use adds a further outlet. Distilleries use 30,000–50,000 tonnes of potatoes a year to make ethanol.
The price data refer to wholesale markets. Prices paid to growers at the farm gate are lower and should not be compared directly with these figures.
Why it matters
After a season of low prices, the Polish potato market has turned. A smaller area, a lower harvest and firmer demand mean that the oversupply of 2025 is over, at least for now. According to the institute expert, good-quality stock will be scarce later in the season. This favours growers with good storage. Packers and processors should expect higher raw-material costs.
Photo: A potato field (illustrative). Slawek Ilski / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
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What next
The harvest estimate is preliminary. The institute expert expects prices to keep rising as good-quality stocks run short.
Sources
- top agrar Polska, 24 Sep 2026 — https://www.topagrar.pl/articles/ziemniaki/ziemniaki-drozsze-o-62-proc-a-prognozy-obiecujace-nadpodaz-i-niskie-ceny-to-przeszlosc-2691298
- farmer.pl, 12 Sep 2026 — https://www.farmer.pl/produkcja-roslinna/rolnicy-czekaja-na-wzrost-cen-ziemniakow-prognozy-sa-obiecujace,183367.html
- Price and campaign figures: one source (top agrar Polska); area and harvest estimates confirmed by farmer.pl
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