Ukraine Set for 50% Bigger Potato Harvest in 2025

Key Highlights

Potato area in Ukraine grew by 25% for the 2025 season
Better weather lifted yields by another 25%
Total output may be about 50% higher than last year
Imports rose earlier due to drought in 2024

Ukraine may end the 2025 season with a potato harvest that is about half higher than last year. Mykola Furdyga, head of the Potato Institute, said the increase comes from a larger planted area and better weather during the growing months.

How Output Increased This Year

According to Furdyga, farmers planted 25% more land with potatoes this season. On top of that, weather conditions raised yields by another 25%.

He explained the growth in simple terms: last year, the farm price was around 20 UAH per kilo, but this year it stayed close to 8 UAH per kilo. That drop in price, he said, shows how much more supply is available in the market.

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He shared these details at a meeting on potato sector development and the future of processing plants in the Volyn region.

Why Ukraine Saw High Imports Earlier

Ukraine brought in more than 123,000 tons of potatoes in the 2024–2025 marketing year. Furdyga said the large import flow was caused by the weather in 2024, when the country faced a strong dry spell.

Because fields produced less, the state had to import potatoes to meet food needs. Supplies from Europe came in at prices buyers found fair. Egypt kept its regular place in the market during the late winter months, as usual.

He added that Ukraine still buys seed potatoes from top seed companies in the European Union, as is normally done each year.

Change in Who Is Growing Potatoes

Since the start of the war, potato growing has shifted. In many villages, fewer people are planting potatoes in their home plots. Some moved away, while others joined the armed forces.

Furdyga said there are places in Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr where households once planted around 30 hectares together, but now they plant only about 2 hectares. He said home production has become hard and less rewarding, which is pushing more growing activity toward farms and larger companies.

Share of Local Potato Types

Local potato types make up about 10–12% of national output. Most of these types are grown by small farmers.

Still, a few farms planted domestic types in the 2025 season, including Biotech Ltd. and Brovary Kartoplya Ltd. in Kyiv region and STOV Desna in Chernihiv region. Together, they grew local types on about 300 hectares for future sale.

Last Season’s Lower Output

In 2024, dry weather pushed Ukraine’s potato harvest down by about 4 million tons. The total reached nearly 17.36 million tons, down from around 21.36 million tons in 2023.

If the 2025 numbers continue as expected, Ukraine’s potato sector may see a much better season, helped by more planted land and kinder weather.