2023-11-27 13:22:26
After a catastrophic harvest in the summer and fall of 2022 marred by a wave of drought, the prices of potatoes but also those of all processed products such as mash or chips are experiencing a real surge in prices.
According to INSEE, in one year, the net of a kilo of potatoes sold on the shelves increased from 1.70 euros to 2.09 euros, an increase of almost 23% between September 2022 and September 2023. At the same time, the price of frozen potatoes (fries, potatoes, mash, etc.) has jumped 25% in one year, for the 2022-2023 season. Purees have increased by 20%, and chips by 18%, according to industry figures.
A hard blow for consumers’ wallets as the French consume on average 50 kg of potatoes, including 30 kg in processed form per year.
Energy prices, rising transport costs
According to Geoffroy d’Evry, farmer in Nampcel in Oise and president of the UNPT, the National Union of Potato Producers, questioned about France Blue, the 2022 harvest was “the worst in 30 years”. However, the potatoes currently consumed are those from this harvest except for “early” varieties such as potatoes from Noirmoutier or Île de Ré.
Added to this are other known factors such as the cost of packaging, the increase in the price of fertilizers with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine but also the price of energy for both producers and processors. “The production cost per tonne soared by 25% in 2022, even though yields were falling,” underlines Bertrand Ouillon, director of GIPT, the processed potato inter-professional association.
The increase in transport costs is also weighing down prices while France must import half of the products processed from its own potatoes. Factories located in Belgium and the Netherlands transform 1.7 to 1.8 million tonnes of French potatoes into frozen fries or crisps each year.
The market is also very tense because international demand is ever more sustained, particularly in the Middle East but also in southern Europe. And the situation is likely to persist. According to professionals, the 2023 harvest completed in most production regions has been described as “average” and prices are not expected to fall again.
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