Potato production in India seems to be stabilizing

Potato production in India is stabilizing. That is clear from an initial estimate by the Indian Ministry of Agriculture for the 2025/26 season. There is no estimate yet for onions. India is the second largest potato producer in the world after China. The ministry estimates the harvest in 2025/26 at 48.4 million tonnes. In the previous season, 58.6 million tonnes were harvested, according to final figures released at the same time as the estimate. Most potatoes in India grow from October to February. In the years 2019 to 2023, potato cultivation in India experienced strong growth. The area increased by more than 10% to about 2.4 million hectares. In 2022/23, in combination with relatively high yields, this led to a record production of just over 60 million tonnes. A year later, production fell back to 57 million tonnes, then recovered to a level of around 48.5 million tonnes. The rise of fast food chains is stimulating potato processing in India. Weather influences often cause large fluctuations in potato production, but based on the harvest estimate for this season, production seems likely to remain at a good level for three years in a row. Rising onion production No indication has yet been given for onion production in 2025/26. However, a final figure has been announced for the previous season. According to the final estimate, the harvest in 2024/25 comes to 30.8 million tonnes. This means production is back at the level of 2021/22 and 2022/23. This has been accompanied by a sharp expansion of the area. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, cultivation has increased to almost 2 million hectares. That means growth of more than a quarter compared with the 1.54 million hectares in 2023/24. The production dip in 2023/24 and high prices have encouraged growers to expand significantly.