Spain (Salamanca): The reasons that point to the fact that more potatoes will be cultivated

Farmers are busy preparing their land for planting potatoes, worried about the surface area and the consequences that this could have on the final price of the product if it increases.

There are signs that this may be the case, at least in the province of Salamanca. One of the main reasons is that farmers who have planted corn or sugar beet in previous campaigns have shown interest in investing in potatoes now, disillusioned by the prices of both crops.

As regards corn, the price hit rock bottom last November, when it was quoted at 228 euros/tonne on the Salamanca market. It began to rise in January and in the last session of the cereals market it was quoted at 241. In the case of sugar beet, the UPA-COAG Alliance has insisted that the low prices that the industries are offering for the 2025/2026 campaign make it impossible to sow in conditions of economic viability for producers.

At the other extreme are regular potato producers, who do not rule out even reducing hectares for fear that the increase in surface area will lower prices and seek to secure prices through contracts, which are generally being signed in this province from 021-0.22 euros/kilo.

Another reason is that the potato has been accompanied in recent campaigns by prices that, on paper, left a good taste in terms of prices, although then each farmer had his own particular case depending on production, health or investments.

In the latest report, the Ministry of Agriculture states that in the 2024-25 campaign there was a 0.9% decrease in surface area, although with a 3.7% increase in late potatoes. In terms of production, the total potato as a whole shows a decrease of 7.5% and late potatoes, of 2.5% compared to 2023. In the case of irrigated potatoes, it points to an average production of 42,134 kilos/hectare.

The last campaign in Salamanca began, according to the Castilla y León Price Observatory, at an average price of 0.53 euros per kilo at the beginning of August, then began to fall and at the end of September it stood at 29.25/28. The minimum was recorded in November, at 26.50. In January it rose again and yesterday the León Market returned to price stability, with repetitions, and the sour one at 400 euros/tonne, at 340 for the red scarlett and at 320 for the pontiac. In 2023, the campaign had begun in Salamanca with the potato at 32.50 and, the previous one, at 40.

There are very few of them left for sale in Salamanca from this campaign. The fear of an increase in the surface area of ​​potatoes is not exclusive to Salamanca, and this was reflected by the Lonja de León, which points to this forecast at a regional, national and European level. In Salamanca, 4,725 hectares were sown last campaign.