Oversupply pushes Belgium industrial potato prices to zero

Potato prices for industrial processing in Belgium have dropped to €0 amid a growing supply glut, Belga news agency reported Tuesday.

According to the sector federation Belgapom’s latest price quotation, maincrop potatoes intended for long-term storage and processing into products such as frozen chips have declined sharply in recent months, falling to €10 per ton (about $11) in March before effectively reaching zero.

The price applies to potatoes sold on the open market to major chip producers.

Around 70% to 80% of the harvest had previously been secured under higher-priced contracts, leaving the remaining volume exposed to weak market demand.

The federation noted that in recent weeks no price was set due to a lack of trade.

"Farmers have sold their potatoes, but at 0 euros. Anything is better than ploughing them in or destroying them," Belgapom CEO Christophe Vermeulen said.

Growers are currently facing a surplus of several hundred thousand tons, with limited demand from processors that already hold sufficient stock.

The maincrop potato season is still ongoing, further adding to supply pressures.

Efforts to redirect excess potatoes toward alternative uses such as animal feed or biofuel production remain limited in scale.