Tracking the trends shaping the industry
Every month, we analyze the global frozen potato market to help you stay ahead in a fast-moving trade landscape. This edition highlights the full H1 2025 trade dynamics, offering clarity on how inflation, currency shifts, and regional competition are shaping today’s market.
Market pulse: trade volumes and prices decline
In June 2025, the monthly global frozen potato trade volumes fell to 754 thousand tonnes, a 4.6% year-over-year decline. Prices followed the downward trend, decreasing -7.3% to €1.23/kg.
This marks the continuation of a challenging environment where cost pressures, weakening demand in key regions, and aggressive local competition reshape the industry’s global flows.
Global trade in H1 2025: a downward step
Compared to H1 2024, total frozen potato trade decreased by 1.1%. The contraction appears linked to persistently high inflation and over-indexed frozen potato prices, which eroded competitiveness in several markets. Top exporters are decreasing their prices – which fell -4.5% to €1.27/kg.
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Western Europe remains key exporter – but is losing ground
- Prices dropped -4.5% to €1.24/kg
- Volumes declined -6.4% to 2,589 kT
- The region lost significant ground in the Middle East (-13%) and Asia (-23%), where local processors are increasingly capturing market share
- Within Europe, imports dropped -4.7%, reflecting weaker demand. Notably, Hyfun Foods is eyeing UK expansion, signalling rising pressure from Indian suppliers
The rise of Asia: China and India keep up the momentum
While European exporters struggled, Asia’s major producers strengthened their global positioning through aggressive pricing strategies:
- China
- Prices collapsed -19% to €1.03/kg
- Volumes nearly doubled (+99%) to 171 kT
- Growth concentrated in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, where cost competitiveness outweighed concerns over quality perception.
- India
- Prices fell -8.8% to €1.04/kg
- Volumes expanded +35.9% to 115 kT
- Similar to China, India’s exports flowed largely into Southeast Asia and the Middle East, underscoring a structural shift toward regional self-sufficiency.
These dynamics highlight the emerging two-pillar structure of global supply: Europe as the incumbent supplier under pressure, and Asia as a low-cost growth engine.
The U.S. holds steady amid currency tailwinds
Unlike Europe, the United States managed to keep both volumes and prices relatively stable:
- Prices eased -1.3% to €1.54/kg
- Volumes grew +1.8% to 465 kT
Two key factors explain this resilience:
- Revitalized Japanese demand, providing a stable outlet for U.S. exports.
- Currency support, as the USD weakened YTD (-12% vs EUR, -6.4% vs JPY), making U.S. frozen potatoes more attractive on the global market
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Closing thought: why trade intelligence matters more than ever
The first half of 2025 shows a global frozen potato market in transition. Europe remains the backbone of global exports, supplying the majority of international demand, but its dominance is increasingly challenged by aggressive competition from Asia and shifting trade flows in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Traditional leaders must defend market share through efficiency, innovation, and sharper strategic positioning.
In this environment, trade intelligence is no longer optional – it’s essential. With global trade patterns shifting, tariffs evolving, and competitive pricing strategies changing rapidly, processors, suppliers, and buyers need real-time, reliable insights to guide decisions.
At A-INSIGHTS, we provide monthly updates based on official customs and statistical sources, offering the most accurate view of global frozen potato trade flows – covering volumes, prices, and supply shifts across regions.
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