Supply of German potatoes shrinks by almost a quarter

The German potato harvest will shrink by almost a quarter this year to 10.4 million tonnes. That is according to figures published by statistics office Destatis.The average yield remains at 38.9 tonnes per hectare this year. That is the lowest yield since 2018. Last year, almost 46 tonnes were harvested per hectare. This means that the yield per hectare this year is 15.4% lower than last year’s yield.The area under potato cultivation in Germany has also been significantly reduced this year, as elsewhere in Northwest Europe. Following last season’s poor market, the area has shrunk by 11% to 268,300 hectares. Taken together, this results in a harvest that is 24.8% smaller than last year’s exceptionally large crop.Lower Saxony 1.5 million tonnes less Most potatoes are grown in Lower Saxony. A harvest of 5.1 million tonnes is expected there. Last year, a total of 6.6 million tonnes were harvested in that state, just across the border with the Netherlands. That means that in Lower Saxony alone, 1.5 million tonnes fewer potatoes will be harvested.Despite the sharp decline, almost half of Germany’s potatoes are still harvested in Lower Saxony. In Bavaria, yields were hit hardest by the dry and hot weather of last summer. There, yields of 32.6 tonnes per hectare are more than 29% lower than last year. Combined with a 10% reduction in area, the harvest there shrinks by 36% to 1.89 million tonnes.In North Rhine-Westphalia, the harvest is estimated at 1.79 million tonnes. That volume is 28% smaller than last year. This is due to both a smaller area (-13% to 41,500 hectares) and a lower yield (-17% to 43.1 tonnes per hectare).Saxony-Anhalt major exception A major exception to the negative picture in Germany is Saxony-Anhalt. Although the area there decreased by 15.5% to 12,500 hectares, yields are expected to be remarkably high. An average yield of 53.5 tonnes per hectare is expected in this state, almost a quarter more than last year. The increase in yield outweighs the reduction in area, resulting in production rising by almost 5% to 669,100 tonnes.