The potato harvest in Germany is more than a million tons lower compared to a year ago. The figures are calculated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMEL) and the statistical service Destatis. The acreage increased by 3%, but that still results in 9,2% fewer potatoes.
The Federal Ministry for Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BmEL) has set the preliminary harvest forecast for all potatoes in Germany at 10,3 million tons. That is 1,041 million tons less than a year ago or 9,2%. Compared to the multi-year average, the yield is 8% lower. The potato area has increased by 8.000 hectares to 266.800 hectares this year. This has been a small 'salvation' for the German potato sector, keeping the total harvest size above the 2018 level. Then 8,9 million tons were harvested.
There are large regional differences in potato yields, which also influence the total volume. The state of Lower Saxony, for example, accounts for almost half of German potato production. At 5,2 million tons, the yield is slightly above last year's level. This mainly has to do with a larger surface area. An additional 6.400 hectares were added. Nevertheless, the average yield of 42,4 tons per hectare is certainly not bad considering the growing season. In 2021, the yield was 44,1 tons per hectare.
22% fewer potatoes in Bavaria
In Bavaria it's a different story. There the area remained virtually stable and the yield was 368.000 tons lower (-22%). In North Rhine-Westphalia the yield is 10% lower with 190.000 tons fewer potatoes. Here the area grew by more than 2.000 hectares.
The average hectare yield for all potatoes is estimated at 38,5 tons per hectare, compared to 43,8 tons last year. This has everything to do with the extreme growing season that the potato crops have had. It represents a decrease of 12% compared to last year and 8% compared to the multi-year average.
French fries potatoes
Unfortunately, BMEL does not publish figures per segment, but table fries and starch potatoes are lumped together. It is clear that the area of starch and table potatoes in Germany has shrunk this season, in favor of chip potato cultivation. This is most visible in Lower Saxony. The total yield may have fallen, but this loss cannot be directly translated into French fries.
As in other European countries, there are also concerns about potato quality in Germany. Due to the dry conditions, there are problems with high product temperatures and damage during harvesting. The high underwater weights also play a role. Fortunately, the precipitation of recent days has improved the harvesting conditions.