Preliminary estimate of the potato crop for 2024.

The first potatoes intended for early harvesting were planted in Poland this year in March, but the vast majority of fields were planted in April - in the second and third decades of the month. Due to the cool weather with frosts in April and May, the potato sprouting was uneven and delayed. Additionally, there was a lack of rainfall in May, and the distribution of rainfall in the country was very uneven, which also did not help the potatoes.

The weather improved in mid-May, and especially in June, good agrometeorological conditions prevailed. This improved the condition of the potato crops. In July, we had quite a bit of rainfall in Poland, at least in many regions of the country, which contributed to an increase in the mass of tubers. However, regionally, there was so much rainfall (often stormy showers) that moisture accumulated excessively in the soil, leading to the appearance of potato blight as early as June.

Experts from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) estimate that the area of potato crops this year will be slightly lower than the previous year, at around 0.2 million hectares (last year it was estimated at a similar level). The preliminary estimate by GUS is based on data collected in June, so in the case of potatoes, it is difficult to have reliable numerical data yet. GUS experts noted that: "Later varieties have not yet accumulated yield, and its final amount will depend on the weather conditions in the further period of vegetation."

Finally, let us recall that last year, after a similarly difficult growing season, Poland had a record-low potato production. According to GUS data, the harvest of these vegetables amounted to only 5.6 million tons.