Area of ware potatoes largest in 25 years

© ANP / KINA
In 2025, the total area used in the Netherlands for growing ware potatoes is well over 83 thousand hectares. That is an increase of 8.6 percent compared to last year. The last time the total cultivated area for growing ware potatoes exceeded 80 thousand hectares was in 2000. The area used for growing onions and wheat increased, while the arable crop area for sugar beet decreased. This is based on provisional figures from the 2025 Agricultural Census, conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
In 2025, the total arable crop area in the Netherlands was up by 3.1 percent on the previous year, an increase of nearly 547 thousand hectares. This is approximately the same as in 2023. The area used for growing potatoes was over 164 thousand hectares. The area used for growing ware potatoes, in particular rose by 8.6 percent. However, seed potatoes (5.9 percent) and potatoes for processing (1.9 percent) were also grown more often.

The share of ware potatoes is increasing

Of all potatoes grown in the Netherlands, the share of potatoes for processing is steadily decreasing and the share of ware potatoes is increasing. Currently, less than a quarter of potatoes are used for processing. For years, this figure remained at around 30 percent. Half of all potatoes are grown for consumption, while the remaining quarter is used for planting.


Arable crop area for seed onions at new record high

Just like in 2024, the number of seed onions grown reached a new record high in 2025. The total arable crop area was 33.2 thousand hectares, 3.6 percent more than in 2024. This growth was due to the increased cultivation of red seed onions (up by 35.6 percent).

Yellow onions made up the largest share of seed onion production (81.1 percent). This was slightly less than last year (down by 1.8 percent), however. The area used for growing second-year onions and plant onions also decreased by 2.5 percent to 6 thousand hectares.

The cultivated area for wheat has recovered

In 2024, the area used for growing wheat was historically low due to prevailing wet weather conditions that hindered sowing. The total cultivated area also fell by a quarter compared to the previous year. In 2025, however, the area increased again by 16.1 percent compared to 2024. However, the arable crop area is smaller than in previous years.


The cultivated area for fibre crops decreased in 2025

The total arable crop area for fibre crops (flax and hemp) decreased by 5.2 percent in 2025, while an increase was seen in 2024. In response to growing demand for flax fibres for the textile market, flax cultivation increased again in 2025 (by 5.8 percent). The area used for growing hemp did not continue to increase: it fell by 16.7 percent to less than 3 thousand hectares compared to 2024.

The cultivated area for sugar beets was nearly 80 thousand hectares (-5,4 percent). In recent years, the total cultivated area for sugar beets has remained around this figure.

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