While French potato growers are in the midst of their contract negotiations and acreage planning for the coming season, the producer organization UNPT held its annual congress in Arras. Chairman Geoffroy d'Évry was blunt: "A contract that only sets a fixed price of 30 tons per hectare is no contract at all," he said. "If the acreage remains unchanged, we will get the same market outcome this year."
Last year, the area devoted to ware potatoes reached a record 196.000 hectares. This represents a 14% increase compared to 2024 and a quarter more than the five-year average. Eighty percent of this area is located in northern France. In the heart of this region, UNPT held its annual conference in Arras on January 29th, during the Pom Pro trade fair.
Dangerous contracts
The contract proposals presented to French growers are similar to those in the Netherlands and Belgium. At the conference, it became clear that processors are targeting a 10% to 15% reduction in acreage. The price reductions in many contracts are similar. Furthermore, potato growers are often able to fix a lower volume of tons at a fixed price. Unacceptable, says UNPT chairman Geoffroy d'Evry. "A contract of 30 tons per hectare is not a contract at all. It's simply a way to tie a grower to a buyer. These kinds of agreements can be dangerous. The advantages in the proposals are too one-sided."
UNPT is threatening measures if buyers don't become more lenient with growers. They'll start by approaching the unions. The organization also sees opportunities within European policy to establish more producer organizations for French fries, chips, flakes, and starch potatoes. Within the new framework, growers are allowed to join together and make price agreements to protect themselves from the power of buyers. In the Netherlands, the Producer Organization for Consumer Potatoes (POC) has a similar goal, which is partly inspired by the French growers' organization Gappi. The difference is that this organization, with 850 members, supplies exclusively to McCain's three factories.
Area reduction
The UNPT is clear that a reduction in acreage is necessary to restore balance to the French market. The organization is not yet venturing into the exact amount. A reduction of 10% to 15% is being discussed. In the latter case, cultivation would shrink by 29.400 hectares, which still leaves the total of 166.600 hectares cultivated in 2023 and 5% more than the five-year average.
Calculated with the average five-year yield of 40,84 tons per hectare, the theoretical yield amounts to 6,8 million tons. This is considerably lower than the 8,5 million tons harvested last year and also 200.000 tons less than the five-year average. It is estimated that more than a million tons of table potatoes will be available on the French market this season, for which a market must be found.
The processing industry demonstrates there is absolutely no need for additional potatoes. In January, companies purchased only 33 tons of potatoes from the open market. The total this season (since July) stands at 7.000 tons. On the other hand, 284.000 tons have already been imported this season. French potato processing fell 16% in January compared to last year.
Critical Stage
"The French potato sector is currently going through a critical phase," says d'Evry. "It's not the first time there have been problems, but the big difference is that the risks are now much greater. Cost prices rose by 45% between 2020 and 2025. The market therefore needs to be reorganized." The UNPT wants to start by meeting with the processing organization CNIPT to find solutions together.