Belgium: Producers worried about potato surplus and falling prices

“We are at a turning point,” because “global markets are buying fewer European fries,” also notes Pierre Lebrun, one of the directors of Belpotato, the Belgian interprofessional potato organization.

Thanks to the success of the potato chip, a source of national pride, the areas cultivated with it have continuously increased.

Chip shops are a national institution and chains with evocative names like Fritapapa have become huge commercial successes.

The sector has grown significantly in the last ten years, making Belgium the largest European producer of french fries and the world’s leading exporter.

In 2024, the country exported potato products worth more than three billion euros, three times more than in 2015, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union.

To produce more and more

Constant global demand and the rise of fast food in Asia and the Middle East have stimulated investment, explains Christophe Vermeulen, director of the professional group Belgapom.

“As a staple food, french fries are always very popular. When the population increases and the middle class develops, the demand for french fries also increases,” he notes.

In this decade, as golden as some good crispy french fries, the factories sought to produce more and more.

Potato prices have reached record highs in recent years, triggering a veritable agricultural frenzy.

"It was a time when everything was going well, the sky was the limit," said Pierre Lebrun.

Producers in Belgium, but also in France, the Netherlands and Germany — who also supply Belgian potato chip producers — have added another 40,000 hectares to their cultivated areas this year, a 7% increase compared to 2024, according to industry figures.

But the situation has reversed, in a context of trade tensions with Donald Trump and increasingly fierce competition, especially from Asia.

Belgian exports of frozen french fries fell by 6.1% between June 2024 and June 2025, according to industry figures.

Most potatoes are sold through contracts signed before the harvest, but on the open market, this drop in exports combined with record production has caused potato prices to plummet to around 15 euros per tonne, compared with a peak of almost 600 euros last year.

While many farmers benefit from guaranteed income through seasonal contracts with chip manufacturers, some will have to review their investments and prepare for tough negotiations next year.

"The Belgian potato industry is in the process of restarting," concluded Christophe Vermeulen.