Heat and drought drive Swiss potato harvest to record low
Thursday 3rd September 2026 on 16:15 in
Switzerland
Switzerland’s potato harvest has fallen to its lowest level since records began more than a century ago, SRF reported, citing Swisspatat, the industry organisation for Swiss potatoes. Extreme summer heat and drought damaged the plants.
Farmers harvested 333,000 tonnes, almost 20 percent below the average of the past five years. The yield was 29.4 tonnes per hectare, its lowest level in more than 60 years.
Swiss potato cultivation has also declined sharply over the decades. Potatoes were grown on 90,000 hectares in 1944, compared with just over 11,000 hectares today.
Irrigation made a significant difference. About half of Switzerland’s potato fields were artificially irrigated during the dry months, producing an average yield 55 percent higher than fields without irrigation.
Swisspatat is calling for irrigation infrastructure to be expanded and wants greater involvement in the development of national water strategies.
To secure supplies, Switzerland will need to import 130,000 tonnes of potatoes, according to Swisspatat. The domestic supply rate is expected to fall from an average of 85 percent to between 70 and 75 percent. The industry nevertheless expects enough potatoes for households and processing.
Consumers are likely to notice smaller tubers. French fries and crisps could therefore be shorter, while prices may rise, said Christian Bucher, Swisspatat’s managing director. He said the supply was expected to remain secure and that there would be no crisis. The quality of the harvested potatoes is very good, while the dry conditions limited the spread of late blight.
Swisspatat President Urs Reinhard is advocating more robust varieties that can better withstand disease, heat and drought while requiring less water and plant protection products. There are currently 13 such varieties, covering about one-fifth of the cultivated area. The industry aims for robust potatoes to account for 80 percent of Swiss production by 2040.
Swisspatat is also calling for access to genome editing technology. In Switzerland, the technology currently falls under the genetic engineering moratorium, which runs until 2030.