Surplus potato volumes from last year’s record harvest in France are set to be shifted quickly, as the French sector works together to prepare the market for the new season
Following 2025’s record year for potato production in France, with volumes reaching 8.6mn tonnes, the sector has elected to act collectively to organise a smooth transition to the new 2026 harvest, while preserving the value of French production.
The size of last year’s crop means significant stocks still remain, just as new potatoes and the new 2026 harvest arrive on the market, creating the risk of competition between the old and new harvests.
“The transition between two harvests is always a strategic moment,” said Luc Chatelain, president of the CNIPT (National Interprofessional Committee for Potatoes). “This year, given the available surplus, it requires an unprecedented collective mobilisation.”
The sale of surplus potatoes from last year’s harvest will be accelerated by redirecting volumes to charities, anaerobic digestion, piling or land spreading, with the aim of reducing market pressure before the arrival of the new harvest.
Packers are expected to end promotional activities and commercial displays of the previous harvest as soon as the collectively agreed switchover date arrives.
According to CNIPT, the objective is to free up the necessary retail space for the gradual introduction of new potatoes and then the new 2026 harvest, increasing visibility to the category and strengthening the perceived value of new potatoes.
