Belgian fries under pressure as drought shrinks potatoes

Drought has left some Belgian potatoes too small for fries, putting supplies under pressure before a harvest due around September 20.

In Amay, near the eastern city of Liege, farmer Mathieu Comijn said his Bintje potatoes were far smaller than normal after heavy rain and storms at the end of spring were followed by hot and dry conditions. The potatoes had been destined for Belgian fries.

Comijn said the hardened soil was stopping potatoes from growing properly. With about a month to go before harvest, he said none were larger than the palm of his hand.

The Comijn family grows 500 hectares of potatoes and still has supply contracts to meet. To cover part of those commitments, the family plans to use stocks from 2025, when the harvest was exceptionally abundant.

Stephane Comijn said those stocks would not be enough and that the family would have to use varieties that were not as good. Belgium, described as the world's top exporter of frozen fries, uses contracts between growers and processors that set delivery volumes and prices before harvest.

Bernard Lefevre, president of the national union of fry vendors, said the sector has faced supply problems before and usually manages to get through them. But he said higher prices for a cone of fries would be serious news in Belgium, where his union represents 4,500 fry shops.