Rwanda harvested more potatoes in 2025 than a year earlier. According to the annual Seasonal Agricultural Survey of the statistics office NISR, as reported by Africa-Press, production rose by 10.1% compared with 2024.

The country has three growing seasons. Season A gave 475,785 tonnes, up 3% from 460,830 tonnes a year earlier, the statistics office said. Season B gave 314,093 tonnes, up 10%. Season C, the smallest season, gave 94,892 tonnes, up 17%, according to Africa-Press. Together this is about 885,000 tonnes.

Area and yields

In Season A 2025 potatoes covered 54,485 hectares, up 0.8%. In Season B the area was 45,940 hectares, up 9.8%. In Season B, most growth came from more land, not from yield.

Yields remain low for most growers. In Season A, small farms harvested 8.7 tonnes per hectare, while large farms harvested 11.4 tonnes. In Season B the gap was wider: 6.8 tonnes for small farms and 14.2 tonnes for large farms. Small farms dominate the national average.

Where potatoes grow

The highest production comes from four districts in the north and west: Nyabihu, Rubavu, Musanze and Burera. Newer areas are growing too. Africa-Press reported that Nyamagabe, Karongi and Nyaruguru are expanding potato farming. Nyamagabe aims to raise seed production from 5,000 to 22,000 tonnes a year by 2029.

Long-run trend

FAOSTAT data published by Our World in Data show 96,500 tonnes in 1961 and 827,000 tonnes in 2024. The average yield was 5.0 tonnes per hectare in 1961 and 7.9 tonnes in 2024. FAOSTAT shows much higher figures around 2010, near 1.8 million tonnes. These earlier numbers came before the current survey method and are not directly comparable.

Why it matters

Potatoes are a key food and cash crop in the Rwandan highlands. The survey shows a large yield gap between small and large farms. Better seed, fertiliser and disease control could lift output without more land, which is scarce in the country.

For seed producers and input suppliers in East Africa, Rwanda is a growing market. Only 37.3% of farmers used improved seed of any crop in Season A 2025, and less in the other seasons.

Photo: Potatoes and eucalyptus at the foot of Mount Bisoke, Rwanda (illustrative). SIBOMANA Constantin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0