A Country Nearly Five Times Smaller Than Belarus Has Become The World Leader In Potato Exports

It supplied $1.3 billion worth of root vegetables to the global market.

Last year, the Netherlands became the leading exporter of raw potatoes to other countries. This is according to an analysis by the World’s Top Exports portal, as reported by “Zerkalo”.

It is noteworthy that the country’s territory is nearly five times smaller than that of Belarus, and it also trails other leaders in the ranking.

The Netherlands accounts for 19.6% of export sales of unprocessed potatoes. Last year, the country supplied $1.3 billion worth of potatoes to the global market.

France trails only slightly behind, having earned $1.2 billion from this, or 18% of the total market.

The top five exporters include Germany, with shipments totaling $746.2 million—representing 11% of global exports— Egypt—$524.1 million (7.7%)—and Canada—$381.4 million (5.6%). The top ten also includes China, the United States, Belgium, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom.

To put this into perspective: the Netherlands has an area of 41.43 km²—almost five times smaller than Belarus (207,000 square kilometers). If we consider agricultural land specifically, according to World Bank data, the Netherlands has 18,30 km², while Belarus has 80,40 km².

Belgium remains the largest exporter in the market for processed, canned, and frozen potatoes: its exports total $4.5 billion, or 25.5% of global exports. The top five also include the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, and France.

Two of our neighbors—Poland and Russia—are among the top 15 in this group. The former ranked 7th, earning $564.4 million from processed potatoes, while the latter ranked 14th ($139.4 million).

However, Belarus was also a leader, albeit on a much more modest scale and in a different region. In 2024, it was the largest supplier of potatoes to Russia, shipping a record 193,800 metric tons there.

And in 2025, the Belarusians themselves faced a potato shortage.

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