Sweden: Starch Potatoes Reach 45% of a 1 Million Tonne Crop
Sweden harvested a record 454,600 tonnes of starch potatoes in 2025 and 546,000 tonnes of table potatoes. The potato area grew again in 2026, to 29,080 ha.
Sweden’s potato sector is changing its shape. In 2025 farmers harvested 454,600 tonnes of starch potatoes, a record, according to final statistics from the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket) published on 22 April 2026. The table potato harvest, including early potatoes, was 546,000 tonnes. Starch potatoes made up about 45% of the total.
Two crops, two regions
Starch potatoes grew on 10,540 ha, the largest area in more than 40 years. The yield was 43,130 kg/ha. The harvest was 13% larger than in 2024 and 25% above the five-year average. The main growing areas are the counties of Skåne, Blekinge and Kalmar in the south.
Table potatoes grew on 15,540 ha with a yield of 35,130 kg/ha. The harvest was 15% larger than in 2024 and 13% above the average of 2020–2024. Early potatoes made up 41,000 tonnes. Skåne, Halland, Östergötland and Västra Götaland together produced 80% of all table potatoes.
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The long view
FAOSTAT data, published by Our World in Data, show a very different picture in 1961. Sweden then harvested 1.53 million tonnes of potatoes at 17.6 t/ha, on about 86,500 ha. The area fell to about 34,000 ha by 1990 and to about 24,000 ha by 2020. At the same time the yield doubled, to 37.3 t/ha in 2024.
Eurostat data show that the trend has now turned. The total potato area was 23,580 ha in 2024, 26,080 ha in 2025 and 29,080 ha in 2026. The 2025 harvest reached 1,006,100 tonnes. In the Eurostat series since 2015, this is the only year above one million tonnes.
Why it matters
Sweden shows that a potato sector can grow again after decades of decline. The growth comes mainly from starch potatoes in the south, which are sold under contract to industry, and from high yields in a few counties.
For starch processors this means more raw material and a stronger base for the coming seasons. For table potato growers it means more competition for land and storage in Skåne. The 11% increase in total area in 2026 suggests that the 2026 harvest could again be large, if the weather allows.
Photo: A potato field on the Danish island of Samsø (not Sweden) (illustrative). Johan Wessman / News Oresund / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
