2025 ‘Facts and Figures’ fact sheet published, quantifying Europe’s processed potato footprint

The European Potato Processors’ Association (EUPPA) has published a new Facts and Figures fact sheet that puts clear, comparable numbers on the scale of Europe’s potato-processing sector – from production volumes and employment to harvested supply and trade flows.

EUPPA represents Europe’s potato-processing industry and says its membership includes six national associations (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) alongside 14 individual companies. Collectively, EUPPA states its members account for over more than 90% of Europe’s processed potato production in both value and volume terms.

Industry snapshot: turnover, output, consumption, and jobs

The headline numbers underline the industrial weight of processed potatoes in Europe’s food economy:

• €9.8 billion per year in turnover
• 7.5 million tonnes annual production volume of French fries and potato-derived products
• 7.3 kg per capita annual consumption volume of French fries and potato-derived products
• 25,000 people directly and indirectly employed in the sector
• 51 production facilities

From “yield” to fork: the production base behind the factories

The fact sheet also frames the upstream agricultural footprint feeding the processing system:

• 1.38 million hectares of potato cultivation area (including seed potatoes)
• 50 million tonnes total harvested potato production
• Average potato yield of 36.3 tonnes per hectare

Trade facts: exports at scale – and heavily concentrated

EUPPA’s figures emphasize that Europe’s processed potato trade is large and dominated by a small group of exporting countries.

For EU27 exports in 2024 (intra-EU included), the fact sheet reports:

• €8.9 billion export value
• 6.8 million tonnes exported
• The top five exporting countries account for €8.8 billion and 6.7 million tonnes – equal to 98.2% of total EU27 export value

For extra-EU27 exports in 2024 (intra-EU excluded), the fact sheet reports:

• €4.0 billion export value
• 3.0 million tonnes exported
• The top five exporting countries total €3.9 billion and 3.0 million tonnes – equal to 99.8% of total extra-EU27 export value

A separate data point focused on intra-EU trade highlights the same concentration trend:

• Intra-EU exports are shown at €5.0 billion and 3.8 million tonnes
• The top five intra-EU exporting countries are listed as Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland, accounting for €4.9 billion and 3.8 million tonnes – equal to 99% of total intra-EU27 export value

The fact sheet also notes that EUPPA members’ exports reach 200 countries, reflecting the breadth of global demand for European processed potato products.

What these numbers signal for the year ahead

Even in a single two-page snapshot, the implications are hard to miss:

• Europe’s processing sector is scale-driven: multi-million-tonne output and multi-billion-euro turnover position processed potatoes as a core pillar of the region’s food system.
• The trade picture is highly concentrated: with top exporters accounting for roughly all reported export value in several categories, disruption in a handful of origins can ripple quickly through contracts, pricing, and availability.
• The “yield to fork” linkage is strategic: large harvested volumes and broad cultivation area underline how closely processors’ fortunes remain tied to agronomic performance, weather volatility, and evolving pest/disease pressure.

Source: EUPPA) Facts and Figures