On Christmas Day, a small community centre pantry line becomes a lesson in quiet generosity when potatoes – the staple families rely on most – run down to the last bags. A young boy’s handwritten note asking for potatoes for his grandmother and sister prompts strangers to step forward, surrender their share, and pool money to buy more. No speeches, no spectacle – just practical compassion, preserved dignity, and a reminder that kindness can be beautifully simple.
Entering 2026, the “Age of the Potato” article argues that converging pressures and breakthroughs are elevating potatoes from staple to strategic asset. Climate volatility, food security needs, precision breeding, smarter storage, and expanding processing are unlocking higher yields, nutrition, and ingredients. Beyond food, potato starch and by-products are feeding bioplastics, adhesives, paper, textiles, and pharma-cosmetics pathways. If innovation stays grounded, verified, and inclusive, potatoes can help reorganize food and materials systems.
Scientists in Punjab, Pakistan, have developed a potato variety, Ijaz-22, that endures smoggy conditions, addressing concerns over worsening air pollution impacting agriculture. With Punjab cities frequently ranking among the world’s most polluted during winter, the Potato Research Institute has created 12 fog-tolerant potato varieties. The focus now shifts to further enhancing smog tolerance to mitigate delays in harvests and reduce crop vulnerability to pests and diseases.
Scotts Precision Manufacturing emphasizes engineering excellence with its flagship Evolution Separator, addressing modern potato production challenges like labor shortages and sustainability. The highly adjustable machine improves cleaning efficiency while protecting tuber integrity. Alongside innovative products like the Terra-Siv De-Soiler and Microlift Pro, Scotts provides solutions to enhance yield and reduce damage.
Potato News Today is launching the Living Dictionary of the Potato Industry, curated and compiled by Lukie Pieterse. This practical, plain-language reference hub is designed to help potato professionals across the value chain align terminology and reduce confusion. The Dictionary launches with an initial 800 core terms – 100 terms in each of eight sections – covering everything from agronomy and storage to trade, crop protection, sustainability, and data. It will expand over time, with reader suggestions welcomed.
This editorial explores the “best feelings” that sustain the people behind potatoes – hot showers after brutal days, the first bite of a real meal, the comfort of connection, and the rare gift of truly restful sleep. It reframes these simple moments as more than sentiment: they are signals of resilience, safety, and retention in a demanding industry. The piece argues the future of potatoes depends on valuing human recovery as seriously as performance.
Potato News Today’s 2025 “Potato Word of the Year” is resilience – not as a slogan, but as the practical requirement for staying profitable and stable in a tougher era. The editorial traces how resilience showed up across the potato system: soil performance and “tired” fields, climate volatility, shifting pest and disease dynamics, higher-stakes storage management, energy and compliance pressures, and oversupply-driven market stress. Runner-up words include transition, whiplash, saturation/glut, and deadpan.
As the festive season nears, Ireland’s food service sector is seeing increased demand, particularly for pre-packed potatoes, despite quality concerns linked to dry growing conditions. In the U.K., the hospitality trade remains challenging, with low demand from small retailers. Growers await contract price confirmation, impacting seed and land decisions. Additionally, shipping delays hinder potato exports to the Canaries, disrupting supplier schedules.
The SAC Association of Potato Producers (SACAPP) conference will be held on February 5 in Dundee, marking its 27th edition. The event focuses on innovation and adaptation in potato production, featuring speakers from the UK and Japan, including insights on water scarcity and clothes made from potato harvest waste.
On World Soil Day 2025, this article examines the rise of “tired” or “deadpan” soils in intensive potato systems. It traces how decades of petro-fertilizer use, short rotations and heavy tillage have weakened soil structure and biology, increasing reliance on synthetic inputs. The piece highlights emerging responses – from cover crops and organic amendments to smarter fertilizer use and soil health testing – and outlines what healthier potato soils could realistically look like by 2035.
Restrain announces the appointment of Mr. Gonzalo Caldiz as Managing Director for Latin America, reinforcing its commitment to regional growers and partners. With over 18 years in agribusiness, Caldiz leads all commercial and operational activities, focusing on sustainable, chemical-free solutions. His experience and leadership are expected to enhance Restrain’s presence and service quality in Latin America, supporting innovation in post-harvest management and collaboration with Agrical Cono Sur S.A.
French fry exports from EU-27 countries fell 5% in September 2025, totaling 148,500 tonnes, attributing significant drops to the UK and Asian markets. Conversely, African exports increased by 30%. Price pressure intensified; the average cost declined to €1,115 per tonne, a 10% drop. Notably, France saw a 12% export increase due to higher production capacity, while Belgium’s figures fell 5.8% over the year.
This feature explores how farmer mindset is becoming a decisive yield driver in modern potato systems, alongside soil, climate and genetics. It shows how curiosity, small experiments, data use, collaboration and a healthier relationship with failure help growers adapt to volatility and hand farms to the next generation. By linking head, heart and hectares, it argues that inner resilience is now as critical as agronomy for long-term success.
This feature explores how potato growers worldwide are quietly adopting digital tools – from yield maps and late blight decision support to smart storage sensors and emerging AI analytics. Rather than replacing intuition, these systems act as a second opinion, sharpening decisions in fields and storages while highlighting real barriers like connectivity, cost and data ownership. The result is a gradual, global shift from gut feel to good data, with farmer judgement still in charge.