República Tcheca: Colheita de batata estimada para 2026 em 544,000 toneladas, queda de 26% devido à redução da produtividade.

The Czech potato harvest will reach about 544,000 tonnes in 2026, according to the Czech Statistical Office. The estimate reflects the situation on 15 August. It includes early potatoes, which were estimated in July.

The crop would be 191,000 tonnes smaller than in 2025. This is a fall of 26.0%, the office said. The expected average yield is 23.12 tonnes per hectare. In 2025 the yield was 30.39 tonnes per hectare.

Vysočina loses a third

Vysočina is the main potato region of the country. The regional office published its own figures on 10 September. It expects 136,000 tonnes of potatoes, excluding seed and early potatoes. This is 32.4% less than in 2025. The expected regional yield is 22.5 tonnes per hectare, down 32.8%.

The region provides 28.8% of Czech production in this category, the office said. It described 2026 as one of the weakest production years. The harvest could be up to one third lower, according to the regional report.

From surplus to shortage

The fall comes after a very large crop in 2025. Last year the harvest was about 735,000 tonnes, based on the figures of the office. Farm-gate prices were low after that harvest. In spring, farm media in the region reported that Czech growers would likely reduce plantings because of the surplus.

In 2026 the smaller area met a hot and dry summer. The result is a much smaller crop for the domestic market. Neighbouring Germany and Poland also expect much smaller crops this year. In Germany, the statistics office Destatis forecasts a fall of about a quarter.

Por que é importante

A short crop in Czechia adds to the deficit in central Europe. Buyers who need imports to fill gaps will compete with processors in the west for the same supply. Prices for table potatoes are likely to stay firm through the winter.

For growers with stored potatoes, the season may bring better returns than 2025. But yields per hectare are low, so income per hectare may not recover in full. The office will update the estimate as the harvest continues. The next figures will show whether late rains in some areas improved the final crop.

Photo: A potato field in the Czech Republic (illustrative). Juan de Vojníkov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0