Argentina: Potato prices recover in wholesale markets towards the end of the year

The year 2025 was disastrous for Argentine potato producers, marked by an oversupply in the domestic market due to increased production and a drop in exports, which saturated the market and drove down prices: a bag of potatoes was being sold at prices that did not cover production costs (for example, at a third of what it cost to produce it), leading many to leave the potatoes in the field or even abandon the harvest, resulting in large economic losses and concern about the viability of the sector. 

Key Details for 2025:

• Prices on the floor:  Selling prices (e.g., $1500-$4000 per 18/20kg bag) were well below production costs (which were around $6000/bag or more), resulting in massive losses for farmers.
• Profitability Crisis:  Many producers did not recover even 20% of their investment.
• Oversupply and Saturation:  A good harvest combined with an inactive industry (due to a lack of export competitiveness), overflowing the domestic market and lowering prices even further, as reported by  Infobae  and  ARGENPAPA .
• Crop Abandonment:  The situation led many producers to leave the potatoes to rot in the field or not harvest them, as seen in  this Instagram post  and  this Instagram reel .
• Economic Context:  The lack of a favorable exchange rate for exports and high domestic costs exacerbated the problem, leaving the sector at a disadvantage compared to foreign competitors.

Potato price recovery towards the end of the year

Monday, December 29, 2025, will be a day to remember for the agricultural sector, as markets responded with an average increase of 50% . While the amount of potatoes entering the Central Market was similar to what comes in on Mondays (around 150,000 bags), the novelty was that the other wholesale markets near the Central Market experienced limited deliveries, which promoted the aforementioned increase, a result of the high demand generated in the country’s main wholesale fruit and vegetable market.

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Thus, the average price paid was between $10,000 and $12,000 per bag of 18/20 kg Spunta potatoes, originating from General Belgrano, when last week it did not exceed $7,000 per bag.

According to industry leaders, prices are expected to remain firm throughout early 2026, due to the end of the harvest in important areas such as Córdoba, Villa Dolores and Rosario, the smaller cultivated area in General Belgrano (30-40% less), and the same trend in the area planted with early potatoes in Southeast Buenos Aires, which will keep the supply tight in the fresh markets.