The Netherlands in 5 numbers: potato production, seed and trade

The Netherlands harvested 6.37 million tonnes of potatoes in 2024 from 152,670 hectares, at an average of 41.7 tonnes per hectare. It earned US$1.44 billion from fresh potato exports, more than any other country, and shipped 927,566 tonnes of seed potatoes. Its people ate about 76 kg of potatoes each in 2023.

How many potatoes does the Netherlands produce?

The first number is 6.37 million tonnes, the Dutch potato harvest in 2024. That is about 1.6% of the world crop of 390.43 million tonnes. The total covers all three Dutch crop types: ware potatoes for eating and processing, seed potatoes, and starch potatoes grown for industry.

The harvest was 7.10 million tonnes in 2014, 6.03 million tonnes in 2018, 7.02 million tonnes in 2020 and 6.92 million tonnes in 2022. It then eased to 6.49 million tonnes in 2023 and 6.37 million tonnes in 2024.

Newer national data point to a smaller crop in 2026. Statistics Netherlands puts the total potato area at just under 150 thousand hectares in 2026, 8.4% less than in 2025 and the lowest since 2012. Its preliminary estimate for the 2026 ware potato harvest is 3.5 million tonnes, 17% below the 4.2 million tonnes of 2025. Final 2026 harvest figures are due at the end of January 2027.

Why are Dutch potato yields so high?

The second number is 41.7 tonnes per hectare, the average Dutch yield in 2024. The world figure that year was 22.9 tonnes, so a Dutch hectare produced about 1.8 times the global average. Neighbouring countries are in the same range: Germany averaged 45.0 tonnes and France 42.4 tonnes per hectare in 2024.

The national average also hides large differences between crop types. Statistics Netherlands estimates the ware potato yield at 49.5 tonnes per hectare in 2026 and 50.8 tonnes in 2025. These ware yields are higher than the average for all potatoes, which also includes seed and starch crops. Dutch potatoes were grown on 152,670 hectares in 2024, down from 164,600 hectares in 2018.

How much does the Netherlands earn from potato exports?

The third number is US$1.44 billion, the value of Dutch fresh potato exports in 2024. The Netherlands shipped 2.83 million tonnes of fresh potatoes that year, which made it the largest exporter by value and about a fifth of world fresh potato export value of US$7.15 billion. France shipped more by weight, 3.30 million tonnes, but earned less, US$1.38 billion.

The country is also a major buyer. It imported 2.34 million tonnes of fresh potatoes worth US$665 million in 2024, second only to Belgium at 4.08 million tonnes. In frozen potato products, mainly fries, the Netherlands exported 1.82 million tonnes worth US$2.71 billion in 2024, second to Belgium at 3.10 million tonnes.

How much seed potato does the Netherlands export?

The fourth number is 927,566 tonnes, the weight of seed potatoes exported from the Netherlands in calendar 2024. They were worth US$763.7 million. The countries that reported seed potato exports for 2024, 73 in all, shipped 1.88 million tonnes together, so the Netherlands supplied about half. France was second at 298,580 tonnes.

Seed earns more per tonne than ware. Dividing value by weight, Dutch seed exports averaged about US$820 a tonne in 2024, against about US$400 a tonne for other fresh potatoes from the Netherlands. The seed and fresh-potato totals come from separate trade datasets compiled in different ways, so they do not add up exactly.

How many potatoes do the Dutch eat?

The fifth number is about 76 kg, the potato food supply per person in the Netherlands in 2023 (75.96 kg). That is more than twice the world figure of 33.72 kg and placed the country 15th among the countries listed. The figure covers fresh potatoes and potato products such as fries and crisps, measured as fresh-potato equivalent.

Among its neighbours, Belgium was higher at 90.79 kg per person and Germany a little lower at 71.67 kg. France was at 53.35 kg. The Dutch figure has moved within a range in recent years: 90.48 kg in 2014, 70.50 kg in 2018 and 75.17 kg in 2022.

What makes the structure of the Dutch potato sector different?

One structural fact sets the Netherlands apart: the size of its seed crop. Statistics Netherlands records 42.1 thousand hectares of seed potatoes in 2026, up 0.8% on 2025, out of a total potato area of just under 150 thousand hectares. Seed therefore takes up about 28% of all Dutch potato land.

The rest is split between ware and starch. In 2026 ware potatoes covered 70.3 thousand hectares and starch potatoes 37.7 thousand hectares, both lower than in 2025. Ware area was 82.7 thousand hectares in 2025, the first time above 80 thousand hectares since 2000, before the cut of 2026. With close to a third of its potato land under seed, the country supplied about half of the seed potato exports reported in 2024.

Is the Netherlands the largest potato exporter in the world?

By value, yes. The Netherlands earned US$1.44 billion from fresh potato exports in 2024, the most of any country. By weight, France was ahead with 3.30 million tonnes against 2.83 million tonnes. In seed potatoes alone the Netherlands leads clearly, with 927,566 tonnes in 2024, about half of the reported world total.

How much land is used for potatoes in the Netherlands?

Potatoes were harvested on 152,670 hectares in 2024. Statistics Netherlands puts the 2026 area at just under 150 thousand hectares, the lowest since 2012. Of that, 70.3 thousand hectares were ware potatoes, 42.1 thousand hectares seed potatoes and 37.7 thousand hectares starch potatoes. The 2026 figures are provisional.

Does the Netherlands import potatoes as well as export them?

Yes. The Netherlands imported 2.34 million tonnes of fresh potatoes worth US$665 million in 2024, the second-largest volume after Belgium. In the same year the country exported 1.82 million tonnes of frozen potato products worth US$2.71 billion that year. Exports of fresh potatoes, 2.83 million tonnes, were still larger than imports.