The National Union of Potato Producers (UNPT) in France has welcomed the announcement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry regarding the new National Strategic Plan (PSN).
The Ministry revealed a significant increase in the basic coupled aid for starch potato production, rising from €83/ha in 2024 to €173/ha in 2025-2026, and then to €186/ha by 2027. This increase of €100 per hectare, secured after months of negotiations, reflects a pragmatic response by the Ministry to the requests of producers, strongly advocated by the UNPT with support from the GIPT interprofessional organization.
Since the COVID crisis, the French starch industry has faced severe economic challenges, leading to the 2023 closure of the Haussimont starch factory in Marne, which cut both cultivated areas and national production volume by half.
While the increase in coupled aid won’t solve all the sector’s short-term challenges, it supports a recovery, buoyed by promising global growth projections for starch (+3.7% annual growth in value between 2022 and 2027) and the rising demand for modified starches, proteins, and fibers used in the agri-food, industrial, and pharmaceutical sectors. France, therefore, remains well-positioned to maintain its standing among the world’s leading producers.
Although the UNPT worked tirelessly to secure this aid reassessment, and the government has responded to the sector’s needs, it is now crucial for the starch industry to build on this momentum. Supporting a revaluation of starch potato prices for upcoming campaigns will help the entire sector align to create optimal conditions for competitive reinvestment by producers.
The UNPT remains committed to ensuring a sustainable future for potato starch producers and safeguarding this strategic sector, which is vital to France’s food and industrial sovereignty.
Source: National Union of Potato Producers (UNPT). Original release in French here
Image: Credit NT Franklin from Pixabay
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