Netherlands Leads Global Fresh Potato Exports With $1.3 Billion in Shipments
The Netherlands accounted for 19.6% of global export sales of unprocessed potatoes, with shipments valued at $1.3 billion. France followed closely, while Belgium remained the leading exporter of prepared, preserved and frozen potato products.
Netherlands takes 19.6% of export sales
The Netherlands became the world’s largest exporter of unprocessed potatoes in the reporting year, shipping $1.3 billion worth of the crop and accounting for 19.6% of global export sales. The figures come from an analysis by World’s Top Exports cited by Zerkalo and Charter97.
The result places the Netherlands narrowly ahead of France, which generated $1.2 billion from exports and held an 18% share of the global market. Together, the two countries represented 37.6% of worldwide export sales, underlining the concentration of the fresh potato trade in Western Europe.
Germany, Egypt and Canada complete the top five
Germany ranked third with exports valued at $746.2 million, equivalent to 11% of the global total. Egypt followed with $524.1 million and a 7.7% share, while Canada shipped $381.4 million, representing 5.6% of worldwide exports.
China, the United States, Belgium, Pakistan and the United Kingdom also appeared among the ten largest exporters. The list combines major European agricultural and logistics centers with producers in North America, Asia and North Africa, indicating that the international market is supplied by several geographically distinct production zones.
Small land base supports a large trade position
The Netherlands’ leadership is notable because its territory is almost five times smaller than that of Belarus, according to Charter97. Its agricultural land area is also substantially smaller. The comparison illustrates that export value depends not only on the amount of land available but also on yields, specialization, storage, logistics and access to regional buyers.
The figures measure export sales rather than production, so they may also reflect the Netherlands’ role as a European trading and distribution hub. For growers, packers and traders, proximity to large consumer markets and established transport infrastructure can allow a relatively small country to handle a disproportionate share of cross-border sales.
Belgium dominates exports of processed potatoes
The ranking changes when prepared, preserved and frozen potatoes are considered. Belgium remained the largest exporter in that segment, with shipments worth $4.5 billion and a 25.5% share of global exports. The Netherlands, Canada, the United States and France completed the top five.
Poland ranked seventh in processed potato exports with sales of $564.4 million, while Russia placed 14th with $139.4 million. This segment is considerably larger in value for the leading exporter than the unprocessed trade, reflecting the additional value created by processing, freezing, packaging and branded food production.
Belarus occupied a more regional position. In 2024, it was the largest potato supplier to Russia and shipped a record 193,800 tonnes there. The contrast shows two different trade models: the Netherlands and other Western European suppliers serve broad international networks, while Belarus’ reported leadership was concentrated in one neighboring market.
