Կարտոֆիլի համաշխարհային գներ, 39-րդ շաբաթ. Եվրոպան շարունակում է կրճատել բերքը, քանի որ Ասիան շարունակում է գերմատակարարված մնալ

By Viktor Kovalev, POTATOES NEWS

Potato prices split along a clear line in the week to September 27, 2026. In Europe, where the four biggest producers expect about 20.8 million tonnes, almost a quarter less than last season, quotes held or firmed at roughly €200–360 per tonne. In Pakistan, Russia and Kazakhstan, retail and producer prices kept falling as harvests or cold-store stocks reached the market.

This review uses only figures confirmed by at least three publications. Where an official quote is reprinted by several outlets, we say so. Prices are converted to US dollars at the Bank of Russia rates of September 26, 2026.

The European picture starts with supply. NEPG and World Potato Markets put the combined 2026 crop of the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany at about 20.8 million tonnes, the smallest since 2018. Area fell by 10–17% and heat and drought cut yields. The figures are projections rather than completed harvest statistics.

The mechanism is familiar. Heat during tuber bulking shortens the period in which the plant fills its tubers, and drought stops growth altogether on unirrigated land. The result is fewer tonnes per hectare and a larger share of small tubers, which processors pay less for.

In the Netherlands, the PotatoNL quotation for fries-suitable processing potatoes stood at €21–27.50 per 100 kg on September 21, about $239–313 per tonne. Only the bottom of the range moved, down €1. More potatoes are arriving from the south-west, but processors are still buying, according to Nieuwe Oogst, Boerderij and Agrarmarkt NRW.

Belgium was quieter still. The Belgapom committee quoted Fontane for immediate delivery at €20 per 100 kg on September 25, unchanged on the week (about $227 per tonne). The committee called the market stable. Challenger was not quoted because too few deals were made. The quote was carried by Viaverda, Landbouwleven and Nieuwe Oogst.

German table potatoes were firmer than processing stock. The national ex-farm range for mainly firm-cooking potatoes was €28–30 per 100 kg in week 39, or $318–341 per tonne, according to agrarheute, the chamber reports published by Bauernzeitung and Agrarmarkt NRW. Lifting is nearly finished, with weak yields, small sizes and wireworm damage reported in several regions.

For growers, however, the effect depends on how much they sold in advance. Most processing contracts for 2026 were agreed in spring, before the drought. A grower with a large contracted share now carries higher costs per tonne from a smaller crop, while the firmer free-market price applies only to the tonnes left uncontracted.

The south of Europe opened the season at higher levels. On September 23, the Lonja de León in Spain gave its first quotes of the 2026 crop at €310–360 per tonne, about $352–409. Kennebec was at the top of the range and Red Pontiac and Jaerla at the bottom. The exchange called the opening acceptable, as León’s potato area fell 10.6% to 1,210 hectares. Agrodigital, Agronews Castilla y León and La Nueva Crónica reported the prices.

In Italy, the Borsa Patate di Bologna set the reference price for fresh-market potatoes for the whole 2026/27 campaign at €0.50 per kg, or about $568 per tonne, for first-category tubers of 45–75 mm. This is a season price, not a weekly quote. The exchange cited the European drought and higher production costs.

Russia moved the other way. Rosstat data reported by Interfax, Life.ru and Vedomosti show that consumer potato prices fell 3.4% in the week of September 15–21, after a 3.1% fall a week earlier. The Ministry of Agriculture put the average producer price at 26.3 roubles per kg on September 2, about $312 per tonne and 12.3% lower than a month earlier. Figures for September 22–28 are due on September 30.

That said, the harvest pressure may not last. Analysts quoted in Russian media expect the seasonal low in October–November and a rise towards the New Year, because modern storage capacity is short. The timing will depend on how much of the crop can be kept in good condition.

In Belarus, the government set ceiling prices for potatoes bought under the state order for the off-season. From November 15, 2026 to May 31, 2027, the ceiling is 0.66–0.74 Belarusian roubles per kg, about $218–244 per tonne, under a resolution of September 8 reported by BelTA, Mlyn.by and Agronews. This is a regulated price, not a market quote.

Kazakhstan is still falling, but more slowly. The national average retail price stood at 211 tenge per kg on September 16, about $477 per tonne, according to Kazinform, Astana TV and Finratings. In the following week it fell another 0.9%, as reported by Time.kz, BAQ.kz and Moy Gorod. The weekly declines have shrunk from 6.9% to 3% to 0.9%.

Pakistan remains the deepest surplus market in this review. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics put the average retail price of potatoes in 17 cities at Rs 51.09 per kg in the week to September 24, down 8.33% on the week and 39.21% below a year earlier. At the interbank rate of about Rs 277.55 per dollar, that is roughly $184 per tonne at retail. The figure comes from a single official release, reported by Business Recorder, Pakera and 24 News HD.

Farm-gate and wholesale prices in Pakistan are well below retail, but no figure for this week is confirmed by three sources, so we do not publish one.

Egypt showed a small rise between seasons. At Cairo’s Obour wholesale market, potatoes traded at 14–20 Egyptian pounds per kg on September 26, about $270–386 per tonne, against 12–20 pounds a week earlier. Banker.news, Cairo24 and Palestinians48 reported the range. Old-crop supply is thinning, and the export season normally starts only in December or January.

In Brazil, three price series agree on direction rather than level. Cepea, the São Paulo Institute of Agricultural Economics and CEAGESP all reported lower wholesale prices in São Paulo this week, as drier weather from September 17 sped up the winter-crop harvest. The price levels differ by class and grading, so we do not combine them into one figure.

Several large markets are missing from this review for a simple reason. The United States, India, China and the United Kingdom all had price data this week, but each figure rests on one primary source: USDA, Agmarknet, or a single trade report. Under our three-source rule they stay out of the numbers until they are confirmed.

Taken together, the week’s data show two markets moving on different clocks. Western and southern Europe are pricing a short crop that is now mostly lifted. Russia, Central Asia and South Asia are still clearing harvest or storage volumes. Storage losses over the next six weeks, especially in Germany, where wireworm and small sizes are widespread, will decide whether European free-market prices move higher before winter.

The full table of current quotes by country, segment and date is updated daily on the POTATOES NEWS potato market prices page.

Sources consulted

Եվրոպա: NEPG / World Potato Markets via Potato News Today and IFA; Nieuwe Oogst; Boerderij; Agrarmarkt NRW; Viaverda; Landbouwleven; agrarheute; Bauernzeitung; Agrodigital; Agronews Castilla y León; La Nueva Crónica; Agripat; FreshPoint Magazine; FreshPlaza Italia. Russia and CIS: Rosstat via Interfax, Life.ru and Vedomosti; Russian Ministry of Agriculture via Vedomosti, Regions.ru and Rambler; BelTA; Mlyn.by; Agronews Belarus; Kazinform; Astana TV; Finratings; Time.kz; BAQ.kz; Moy Gorod. Asia and Africa: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics via Business Recorder, Pakera and 24 News HD; Banker.news; Cairo24; Palestinians48. Americas: Cepea/HF Brasil; IEA-SP; CEAGESP. Exchange rates: Bank of Russia, September 26, 2026; PKR interbank rate, September 26, 2026.