Mountains of potatoes pile up in France amid overproduction
Rising production and slowing demand has created large surpluses across the French potato sector
There is an estimated potato surplus of around 1 million tonnes in France
PHILIPPE MONTIGNY/Shutterstock.
French potato farmers are facing an oversupply crisis, with large stocks left unsold and prices falling below production costs in the industrial sector.
The situation has been driven by increased planting in recent years, combined with lower demand and slower exports.
In parts of northern France, farmers say they are still holding hundreds of tonnes of potatoes months after harvest. “We have nothing left but our tears,” one producer in the Somme region told Franceinfo. He is currently left with around 500 tonnes in storage.
In an effort to reduce surplus, the farmer has even opened his stock to the public, allowing people to take away potatoes for free.
However, the issue is not limited to a single farm. Across North-West Europe (including France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands) industry representatives estimate an excess of some 4.5 million tonnes. This has pushed prices down sharply, particularly for potatoes destined for industrial processing such as frozen fries.
Farmers say current prices in this segment are far below what they need to cover costs.Food manufacturers currently pay about €10 per tonne for potatoes (to be used to make frozen chips etc), while growers need roughly €250 to €320 per tonne to make a living, one farmer told Franceinfo.
The imbalance reflects several years of demand for processed potato products, particularly driven by the frozen fries industry, which encouraged farmers in France and across Europe to expand production.
However, the market has since become oversupplied, with production increasing faster than demand, according to Pleinchamp, a French agricultural information platform.
This has led to an estimated surplus of around 1 million tonnes in France, falling prices, rising storage pressure, and weakening export opportunities.
With storage facilities full and the next harvest approaching in September, many producers are now calling for a reduction in planted areas to help rebalance supply and demand and avoid further losses next season.
