Uruguay: Autumn Potato Harvest Rises to 56,500 Tonnes With 26.4 t/ha Yield
Uruguay's autumn 2025 potato crop reached 56,500 tonnes on 2,138 hectares, up from 47,000 tonnes a year earlier, according to the agriculture ministry's statistics office DIEA.
Uruguay harvested about 56,500 tonnes of potatoes in the autumn 2025 cycle, according to the potato survey of DIEA, the statistics office of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP). The survey was carried out in November 2025 and published on 19 January 2026.
Farmers planted 2,138 hectares and reached an average yield of 26.4 tonnes per hectare. About 69% of the area was irrigated. One year earlier, in autumn 2024, the country planted 1,858 hectares and harvested 47,000 tonnes, with a yield of 25.3 tonnes per hectare. By our calculation, output grew about 20% and area about 15%.
A concentrated sector
Production is concentrated in the south of the country. The South zone had 1,983 hectares and 93% of autumn production. The East had 153 hectares and 7%. The North planted only 3 hectares.
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A few large farms dominate. Eight producers, 13% of the total, plant more than 100 hectares a year. They also had the best yield, 29.2 tonnes per hectare. Producers with less than 30 hectares make up 51% of all growers but only 9% of production.
The main autumn varieties were Rudolph (14.9% of the area), Cerata (14.8%) and Red Magic (13.3%).
Two seasons and imported seed
Uruguay grows potatoes in two cycles. The autumn crop is the larger one. For the spring–summer 2025/26 cycle, farmers intended to plant 1,048 hectares. At the survey date 992 hectares (95%) were already planted. They used 2,804 tonnes of seed, at 2.7 tonnes per hectare, and 94% of this seed was their own.
The autumn crop relies more on imported seed. For autumn 2026, farmers declared an intention to plant 2,289 hectares, 7% more than in 2025. They planned to buy 1,516 tonnes of imported seed and had kept 6,176 tonnes of seed from the autumn 2025 crop.
The growth has been steady. In late 2024, farmers said they planned 2,172 hectares for autumn 2025. The final area, 2,138 hectares, was close to that plan.
Why it matters
Uruguay is a small market, but it shows how a few large, irrigated farms can raise national yields. The largest growers already reach about 29 tonnes per hectare. The plan for autumn 2026 points to another increase in area and a continued need for imported seed.
For seed exporters, the demand is regular but small: about 1,500 tonnes per year for the autumn cycle. For the regional market, higher local output reduces the need for imports in the months after the autumn harvest.
Photo: Potato harvest (not Uruguay) (illustrative). Narek75 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
