South Africa: Potato Prices Fall 19% in First Half Despite 8% More Bags

South African potato growers sold more potatoes in the first half of 2026. They earned less money for them.

Potato prices fell by 19% in the first six months of the year. The figure comes from the latest AgriTrends report by Absa AgriBusiness, as reported by Farmers Weekly on 25 September.

Market volumes rose by 8% to 66.55 million 10 kg bags. This is 2.46 million bags above the five-year average.

The value of potato sales fell to R3.25 billion. A year earlier the value was R3.69 billion. This is a decline of about 12% despite the higher volumes.

The year-to-date average price was R48.76 per 10 kg bag. The winter average was higher at R64.34 per bag.

Quality is a weak point

Class 1 potatoes made up only 70% of market supply. The industry target is above 80%.

FP Coetzee, a manager at Potatoes South Africa, advised producers to manage quality, sizing and stock more carefully. He said this matters more than chasing prices.

Onions performed better in the same period. Onion prices rose by 8%, and volumes grew by 10% to 24.61 million bags.

Recent weekly trend

Weekly data from Standard Bank show a mixed picture in September. In week 37, potato prices rose by 2% week on week to R6,593 per ton.

The increase came as market volumes fell by 17% to 20,387 tons. The bank expected prices to ease again as weaker demand outweighs lower volumes.

Why it matters

South Africa is the largest potato market in southern Africa. Growers there sell mainly through national fresh produce markets, so prices react quickly to volume. A large crop with weaker quality has reduced grower income, even though consumers had more potatoes. The gap between Class 1 supply and the 80% target shows where growers can still gain value. Better grading, sizing and storage can lift the average price per bag without adding more hectares.

Photo: Certified seed potato tubers, South Africa (illustrative). Philippus Jacobus Steyn / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0