According to the Potato Documentation Center (CEPA), the European overall picture of potato production in 2010 is not positive, as it has been significantly affected by particular climatic conditions which influenced the crop already since the planting time. Afterwards, frequent climatic fluctuations that negatively affected the yield per hectare.

Both in Germany and France, the national Producers' Associations reported losses of product over the previous year estimated around 15 to 20%. This deficit in production has pushed up prices of raw materials: in the same period last year (32nd week of 2009), potatoes supplied by these countries were proposed at 0.15 € / kg, compared to the current 0.30 to 0.32 € / Kg

Moreover, a drop in production has been registered in Spain and Eastern-Europe, which are thus passed from being exporting countries to importing countries. Not least the difficulties faced by Russia, which is requiring the product earlier than usually this year.

It is estimated that in Europe, there is an overall loss by about 5 million tonnes of potatoes compared to 2009. Italy too is under the influence of the unfavorable climate, with a production estimated at around 20% less than last year (so far 70% of surfaces has been harvested).

This negative trend is also confirmed by the first price listing of Bologna's Potato Stock (Borsa Patate di Bologna, the official Italian body for the price listing of potatoes), which at its meeting on July 20, 2010, has listed the product at 25 cents per kg compared with 15 cents € / kg on average registered in 2009.

Today, as the harvest is almost ended, the production's quality is much lower than expected with a subsequent price increase of raw material, as it expected to be for the packaged product, for which operators are positioning themselves around values of 0.65 € / kg.