Potato processor McCain has substantially lowered the farmgate price for the Fontane variety to its lowest level since 2022.
For three years, a higher price has been paid. Contract prices for Fontane potatoes from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 harvests were at or just above €17 per 100 kilos, peaking in 2024 at €17,50 per 100 kilos.
McCain has lowered the contract prices for Fontanes from storage by approximately €4,50 per 100 kilos. In week 17, the contract price now stands at €22,80 per 100 kilos. Over the past two years, a price of €27,30 per 100 kilos was paid for delivery in the last week of April. In 2023, that price was €25 per 100 kilos. The same pattern is seen for deliveries in June, where prices are approximately €2 higher than at the end of April.
McCain doesn't publish prices itself. The prices mentioned here come from growers. The potato processor has set the farmgate price from Innovator at €15,75 per 100 kilos for the 2026 harvest. In week 17, the contract price is €25,85 per 100 kilos, and in the last week of June, it's €28 per 100 kilos.
Innovator's price reduction is smaller than Fontane's. Innovator's farmgate contract is €4 lower than last year. In week 16, the difference is €3,85, and by the end of June, the reduction will be further reduced to €3,75 per 100 kilos compared to last year.
For the Markies variety, McCain pays a price of €14 per 100 kilos ex-farm, which is €1,50 more than for Fontane. At the end of April, the price for this variety is €24,10 per 100 kilos and at the end of June, it is €26,25 per 100 kilos. The price difference compared to Fontane drops to €1,30 at the end of April and then increases again to €1,50 per 100 kilos at the end of June.