Spain (Salamanca): The start has been complicated for potatoes, with sales not covering production costs.

The potato harvest has begun in Salamanca, and farmers are concerned about the low  prices they are receiving for their produce, in some cases below the cost of production. In the Cantalpino area, where the harvest has started slowly, the price for farmers is around 15 cents per kilo, with some transactions reaching 26 cents, but at the farm gate. According to studies by the Aranpino cooperative, the region’s main potato producer, on irrigated plots where diesel is used, the cost per kilo varies between 18 and 20 cents.

The harvest has begun primarily with farmers who had signed contracts. This is a period of high supply, as the production from Salamanca destined for the HORECA channel (hotels, restaurants, cafes, and catering) is being supplemented by production from other areas such as Toledo. Furthermore, producers attribute the drop in prices for industrial contracts to the tariffs imposed by Trump, since potato shipments to the United States have decreased, while previously importing countries like China and India are now exporting.

There is concern among farmers about the possibility of a further drop in prices. However, some are urging calm. Alberto Duque, a member of COAG and former president of the Castile and León Potato Interprofessional Association, says the situation is similar throughout the region, with washed potato prices between 24 and 26 cents per kilo. This year, 3,000 fewer hectares are under cultivation, which could reduce production by around 150,000 tons compared to last year. Regarding the exact yield, there are discrepancies, especially in Cantalpino, where it is uncertain whether the target of 50,000 kilos per hectare will be reached. Duque questions the urgency to "burn" the crop: he argues that in France, the heatwave has been so severe that they have no potatoes or irrigated land left. Some farmers are rushing to harvest due to the heat and the forecast of another heatwave, which is particularly affecting certain varieties like the Carrera.

The Agrarian Technological Institute of Castilla y León indicates that in the Encinas de Abajo area the presence of downy mildew and beetles is low, although Alternaria is close to the limit that requires treatment.

Regarding prices, the Potato  Price Observatory in Castile and León recently set a price of €27.50 per kilo. During the same week last year, the price was €30, and the lowest price until mid-September had been €21.37. From then on, the price began to decline.