Spain: Castilla y León Grows 44% of Potatoes as Imports Reach 889,446 Tonnes in Nine Months
Spain produced 1.94 million tonnes of potatoes in 2025, 44% of them in Castilla y León. In January to September it imported 889,446 tonnes, mostly from France.
Spain grows much fewer potatoes than it did 60 years ago and now relies on imports for a large part of its supply. According to a sector report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) dated 1 December 2025, Spain produced 1,944,132 tonnes of potatoes in 2025. This was 1.4% more than in 2024 but 1.9% below the five-year average.
The Spanish crop has four seasons. Late potatoes gave 754,837 tonnes (39%), mid-season potatoes 705,017 tonnes (36%), early potatoes 428,505 tonnes (22%) and extra-early potatoes 55,773 tonnes (3%).
One region leads
Castilla y León produced 854,736 tonnes in 2025, or 44% of the national crop. Andalucía followed with 252,272 tonnes (13%), Galicia with 213,856 tonnes (11%) and Murcia with 194,414 tonnes (10%). The Valencian Community gave 116,649 tonnes and the Canary Islands 77,760 tonnes. Galicia was 25% below its five-year average, while Castilla y León was 9% above it.
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Imports and exports
From January to September 2025 Spain imported 889,446 tonnes of potatoes, 29.1% more than the five-year average for the period. France supplied 73%, Portugal 7%, Israel 5% and Egypt 4%. Exports were 239,382 tonnes, 20% less than a year earlier. Portugal took 35% of them, France 26% and Germany 10%. The trade balance was minus €218 million.
The trend is not new. The MAPA sector page shows that in 2021 France already supplied 81% of Spanish potato imports, and Portugal took 44% of Spanish exports.
Household buying is also changing. In January to July 2025 total potato consumption was 8.8% below the five-year average, according to MAPA. Fresh potato consumption was 12.1% below average, while frozen potato consumption was about 18% higher.
The long view
FAOSTAT data, published by Our World in Data, show that Spain produced 4.92 million tonnes of potatoes in 1961 at 11.8 t/ha, on about 416,000 ha. In 2024 production was 1.97 million tonnes at 32.1 t/ha, on about 61,000 ha. The area fell by about 85%, while yields almost tripled. MAPA counted 65,966 ha in 2021.
Why it matters
Spain is a clear net importer of potatoes and depends heavily on French supply. In a year when the French harvest is small, Spanish packers and processors face higher costs. The growing demand for frozen products also favours large processing chains over local fresh supply.
Photo: A potato field in Benifaraig, Huerta de Valencia, Spain (illustrative). Juan Emilio Prades Bel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
