Thailand: Potato Crop Reaches 120,854 Tonnes as Area Falls 2.16%; 85% of Northern Fields Grow for Processing
Thailand expected 120,854 tonnes of potatoes in 2025 from 40,455 rai, the Office of Agricultural Economics says. In the north, 85% of the potato area grows varieties for processing under contract.
Thailand expected a potato crop of 120,854 tonnes in 2025, according to the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, as reported by Bangkok Biz News. That is 1.13% more than 119,501 tonnes a year earlier. The planted area fell by 2.16% to 40,455 rai from 41,347 rai. The yield rose by 3.36% to 2,987 kg per rai.
One rai is 0.16 hectares. So the Thai potato area is about 6,470 hectares, and the average yield is close to 18.7 tonnes per hectare.
The harvest is short and early in the year. The OAE expected about 57,635 tonnes, or 47.69% of the annual crop, to reach the market in March 2025. The average farm-gate price in 2024 was 13.23 baht per kg.
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More than half of the crop area is in the north. The OAE regional office in Chiang Mai counted 23,148 rai in six northern provinces for the 2024/25 season: Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Lamphun, Lampang and Mae Hong Son. This was 56.56% of the national potato area. Of the northern area:
- 19,791 rai, or about 85%, grew varieties for processing;
- 3,357 rai grew potatoes for the fresh market.
The northern crop was estimated at 73,699 tonnes, 0.42% less than 74,010 tonnes a year before. Yield rose to 3,184 kg per rai. Farmers plant in December and harvest in March and April, after 100 to 120 days.
Most processing potatoes are grown under contract. According to the OAE, the buyers are PepsiCo’s Thai trading company, which makes Lay’s chips, and Berli Jucker, which makes Tasto chips. The contract price is 13 to 13.50 baht per kg, linked to starch content and a yield above 2,500 kg per rai. Fresh-market potatoes averaged 15 baht per kg in 2023/24.
The OAE said the area fell because of poor seed quality and high costs for seed, labour and crop protection. Some farmers moved to maize or vegetables.
Why it matters
Thailand’s potato sector is small and built around the snack industry. Two chip makers set the terms for most of the crop. This gives farmers a stable price, but it also means the sector depends on their plans.
Seed is the main weak point named by the OAE. Better seed could lift yields and stop the slow loss of area. For seed suppliers, the northern contract system offers a clear group of buyers.
Photo: Highland village of Doi Chang, northern Thailand (illustrative). LannaPhoto / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
