Spring Potato Production Increases by 1.5% Despite Reduced Cultivation Area

This year's spring potato production has increased by 1.5% compared to last year. Although the cultivation area has slightly decreased as some farmers have switched to other crops, improved weather conditions during the growing season have led to higher yields per unit area.

According to the National Data Agency's report on the '2026 Spring Potato Production Survey' released on September 8, this year's spring potato production reached 361,167 tons, an increase of 5,469 tons (1.5%) from last year's 355,698 tons.

The cultivation area decreased to 148,897 hectares, down 30 hectares (0.2%) from last year's 149,927 hectares, influenced by the shift to other crops.

However, the yield per 10 ares increased to 2,424 kg, up 41 kg (1.7%) from last year's 2,383 kg. The increase in yield per unit area contributed to the overall rise in production despite the reduction in cultivation area.

This improvement is attributed to favorable weather conditions during April and May, the key growing months for potatoes. During this period, sunshine hours totaled 474, a 3.3% increase from last year's 459 hours. The average temperature rose from 14.9 degrees Celsius to 16.2 degrees Celsius, and precipitation increased from 184.6 mm to 205.1 mm, an 11.1% rise.

By region, South Chungcheong Province led production with 61,648 tons, accounting for 17.1% of the national total. It was followed by Gwangju in South Jeolla with 56,623 tons (15.7%) and Gangwon Province with 56,190 tons (15.6%).

In terms of regional changes, Gyeonggi Province saw a 20.6% increase to 39,064 tons, while Gangwon Province increased by 16.3% to 56,190 tons. South Chungcheong Province also experienced a 5.6% rise. Conversely, North Gyeongsang Province reported a 24.5% decrease to 49,072 tons, and North Chungcheong Province saw a 22.4% drop to 21,600 tons.

This year's spring potato production has rebounded slightly after last year's decline but remains about 9.2% lower than the 397,613 tons produced in 2024.

* This article has been translated by AI.