In the 2022/23 season, New Zealand's potato output reached 419,200 tons, marking an 8.1% decrease from the previous year and a 20.5% fall from the 2018/19 figures, as reported by Potato New Zealand. The country had 176 commercial potato growers who cultivated 8,424 hectares, with the production's total value estimated at NZ$931.3 million. This production encompasses 234,194 tons allocated for processing, 168,855 tons for table consumption, and the rest for seeding purposes.
Despite the decline in production volume, New Zealand achieved the highest potato yields globally in 2022, with an average of 50.9 tons per hectare, surpassing the United States and Denmark, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation.
However, the 2023/24 season's production figures remain undisclosed, though there's an indication of increased potato volume due to reported lower prices this season. Export prices for table potatoes experienced a significant drop from NZ$1200/ton to as low as NZ$400/ton. Fiji emerged as the largest export market, accounting for 80% of New Zealand's table potato exports, followed by French Polynesia and Samoa.
Source: potatoesnz.co.nz