Flemish potato growers sharply reduce acreage

The area of ware potatoes in Flanders could decrease by almost 20% this year. That is the conclusion of research institute Viaverda based on its own survey among growers. It concerns a relatively small group, so caution is warranted. It is mainly businesses with an area of up to 25 hectares that are reducing their acreage significantly. In mid-May, Viaverda asked its members to share figures about their potato acreage. This shows that this year a decline of 19.7% must be taken into account in the Flemish region. This is based on 71 respondents. With more than 2,000 professional growers in Flanders, this is therefore a relatively small sample. It is half the number of members who normally respond. If these figures reflect reality, it means that Flanders will cultivate its smallest acreage since 2015 this year. In one fell swoop, the trend of four consecutive years of growth has been undone. A reduction in cultivation of more than 10,000 hectares is historic. The last time the acreage declined was in 2021. Then 3,700 hectares were lost, which was already very much. Small grower reduces most Especially potato growers with an area of up to 25 hectares are choosing to reduce significantly. The average decline here comes to almost 30%. Up to 75 hectares it is 24% and above that the areas decline by an average of 15%. Almost all potato growers are shrinking in acreage this year. This concerns 82% of the respondents. For 10% the acreage remained unchanged. Among the few growers increasing, it mainly concerns small businesses that, for practical reasons, for example grow one extra hectare. Viaverda is also keeping a close eye on the results because of the limited group size. Preliminary projections for France and Germany show that the acreage there is decreasing by 5.3% and 7.1%. However, the outcome is in line with an earlier survey that Viaverda held on 1 April among 130 growers. At that time, it emerged that the acreage would decrease by 16%. The largest percentage decline is in the cultivation of early chip potatoes, which according to the growers is halving in acreage. For the mid-late and late varieties, the research shows 16%. This is based on the earlier survey on 1 April. Almost 12,000 hectares decline Last year, 59,327 hectares of potatoes were planted in Flanders. An increase of 3,700 hectares compared with 2024. A decline of 20% means a reduction of 11,866 hectares to 47,460 hectares. With more than 4,000 hectares, the early varieties account for an important part of this decline, although Fontane is also being reduced significantly, by almost a quarter. Colleague organisation Fiwap has not yet conducted a survey among growers in Wallonia. It is possible that the contraction there will be smaller, since the farms are on average larger than in Flanders. Differences are also noticeable provincially in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. For example, the contraction in West Flanders seems to be significantly smaller than in other provinces.