Belgium overtakes Spain as main market for French potatoes

Spain is no longer the first destination for French potatoes, having been surpassed by Belgium this season. While Spanish imports of French potatoes fell by 18% in the first six months of the 2021/22 campaign (from August to January) to 256,905 tons, shipments to Belgium were up by 23%, according to data from the French interprofessional organisation (CNIPT) collected by Agropopular. 

In January alone, Spanish demand for French potatoes plummeted by 23% to 54,128 tons, the lowest level for January in recent years. Even more pronounced was the drop in sales of French potatoes to Portugal in that month (-46%, 9,492 tons).

However, France is increasing its sales to other destinations, especially to Eastern European countries, for which its total exports in the August-January period grew by 7% to almost one million tons. The value of these sales abroad grew by 16%, to nearly €215 million.