Dutch seed potato supplier takes market downturn in its stride and confirms takeover of Irish rival
Seed potato supplier HZPC has described the global potato market as “challenging”, with prices and margins under intense pressure, as it published its annual figures for 2025/26.
The company, which recently completed its planned acquisition of Irish rival IPM Potato Group, said it had sold more seed potatoes over the past 12 months, but saw a significant decline in revenue and operating profit.
With prices down in nearly all its major markets, its sales for the current year are expected to be below €450mn, compared with €525mn in 2024/25,
Ebitda, meanwhile, is likely to be around €10mn, “substantially lower” than the €27mn it achieved in the previous period.
Despite these conditions, HZPC’s global seed potato volume continued to grow, to above 1.1mn tonnes.
“After a number of strong years, the global potato market is facing difficult conditions this year as a result of the excellent harvests of the previous season, combined with weakening demand,” commented Hans Huistra, CEO of Royal HZPC Group.
“As a consequence, prices are under pressure and it has become more challenging to find suitable destinations for all seed potatoes. Against this background, we are satisfied that we have been able to limit the impact for our seed potato growers.”
He added: “Our wide spread across regions and product groups, combined with a strong focus on new and protected varieties, has helped us achieve this.”
