she is becoming more and more french

One of the star dishes of Spanish gastronomy is in danger. The agricultural organization COAG (Coordinator of Farmers and Ranchers Organizations) has revealed that Spanish farmers that produce the potato with which tortillas are made are on the verge of ruin. Meanwhile, Horeca channel operators — who supply hotels, bars and restaurants — are selling low-quality “old” French potatoes and destroying prices.

Prices on the floor. Large businesses that supply the large-scale hospitality industry are buying preservation french potatostored since the 2025 harvest, at between 15 and 20 cents per kilo. That potato enters Spain and causes the price of the entire market to fall, including that of Spanish potatoes recently harvested in areas such as Campo de Cartagena (Murcia) or in Andalusia. Both regions should be experiencing their moment of greatest demand, and instead they are seeing how the potatoes they produce have no outlet.

We were few… Producers in Murcia and Andalusia charge between 25 and 30 cents per kilo, while their production costs exceed 35-40 cents. There, agricultural diesel (50% more expensive than a year ago) and nitrogen fertilizers, which are also 40% more expensive than a year ago, have a clear impact. due to the impact of the war in Iran. The result is losses that range between 100 and 150 euros for each ton sold.

That tortilla is probably not very Spanish. According to Alberto Duque, head of the sector at COAG, what neither the tourist nor the hotelier themselves know is that the omelette they are eating or serving today has a high probability of having been cooked with preserved French potatoes. This potato can be identified relatively easily because it darkens when cooked and falls apart when fried.

A decade with this trend. The phenomenon is not specific to this summer: French potato imports have grown by 33% in ten years, from 708,000 tons in 2016 to 941,000 in 2025, with a jump of 23.5% only between 2023 and 2024. Today, almost three out of every four kilos of imported potato in Spain (73.7%) come from France.

What COAG asks for. The agricultural organization requires large distribution chains and Horeca operators to give priority to new Spanish potatoes in their production and distribution chains during the summer season. In addition, they ask that the origin and condition of the product (new or preserved potato) be clearly labeled, and that the Ministry of Agriculture strengthen control of the Food Chain Law to guarantee prices above the real costs of production.

Source: COAG

Many kilometers traveled. Compared to the 1,500 or 2,000 km that a French potato travels to reach the point of sale – more than 5,000 in the case of Egyptian potatoes – the Andalusian potato travels on average just 50 km before being handled. The Sevillian company Patatas Arrebola fencing that argument in Cinco Días and defended its new brand “Sabor del sur” to identify the 100% Andalusian potato compared to the French conservation potato that is flooding the market.

Spanish tourist boom, Spanish potato debacle. He traditional tourist success of our country in summer should be great news for the Spanish countryside, but it is becoming the opposite. The more demand for tortillas there is in bars and restaurants, the more profits are obtained by those who are satisfying that demand with cheap potatoes from abroad. That leaves the local product out of a market that in theory should be much more its own due to season and proximity.

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