Will We Have to Eat Smaller and Pricier French Fries?... Europe Faces 'Potato Shortage' Amid Extreme Heatwaves and Droughts

Sharp Drop in Potato Production
"Heatwaves Also Impact Quality"

This summer, Europe is facing a potato shortage as a result of severe heatwaves and droughts across the continent. As a result, consumers are expected to have to settle for smaller and more expensive French fries.

Sharp Decline in European Potato Production... Poor Crops Due to Heatwaves and Drought

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According to the UK daily Financial Times (FT) on September 17 (local time), an analysis from the non-profit Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) found that potato production losses caused by this year's extreme weather events amount to 3.1 million tons. In financial terms, this translates to a loss of between EUR 400 million and EUR 620 million (about KRW 634.6 billion to KRW 983.6 billion). Last year, a bumper crop drove down prices, resulting in a decrease in cultivation of about 3.6 million tons this year. On top of this, heatwaves and droughts further exacerbated the damage.

ECIU forecasts that in Europe’s top potato-producing countries—Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands—production will fall sharply from 27.3 million tons last year to an estimated 19.5–20.5 million tons this year.

Craig Elliott, a market analyst at commodities information firm Expana, remarked, “It looks as though we will see the biggest turnaround from record-high to record-low production within just one year,” adding, “Five successive periods of extreme heat were completely unexpected, impacting not only the volume but the quality as well.”

Potatoes require a large amount of water during cultivation, making them highly susceptible to this year’s heatwaves and drought. In fact, in Aras, northern France, there was no rainfall at all from June 10 to August 25, and in August, temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius persisted for nearly a week.

Local farmer Jean-Paul Dallen reported, “The potato plants stopped growing.” He pointed out that yields had fallen, but it was also problematic that the potatoes harvested for food supply companies were too small to be accepted. He added, “Consumers will now be seeing smaller French fries.”

'Home of French Fries' Belgium Raises Alarm

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Previously, Belgian potato farmers also warned that a poor potato crop this year could lead to a shortage of potatoes for making French fries. In Belgium, heavy rain and storms late in the spring weakened soil conditions, and these were followed by an unusually hot and dry summer, making it difficult for potatoes to grow properly.

Mathieu Comyn, a potato farmer from Amay, near Liège in eastern Belgium, expressed difficulties with this year’s crop in an interview with Euronews last month. Showing a potato the size of a ping-pong ball dug from parched soil, he explained, “Normally, it would be four times this size at this time of year. With potatoes like this, you can’t make French fries.”

The owners of the famous Brussels French fry shop “Maison Antoine” also pointed out that large, elongated potatoes are ideal for making fries, and expressed concern, stating, “With the kind of extreme weather fluctuations we’ve seen lately, it has become very difficult to find perfect potatoes for French fries.”

Meanwhile, Belgium is the world's largest exporter of frozen French fries, processing more than 6 million tons of potatoes annually. About 90% of these frozen French fries are exported to 120 countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.