It’s hard to imagine a table without them — boiled, fried, baked, in chips or purée — potatoes have become an essential food across the world. Today, they are grown in 159 countries and come in about 5,000 varieties.
Despite their simple appearance, the numbers tell a different story. Over the past 50 years, potato cultivation has expanded dramatically. Currently, it covers nearly 20 million hectares of agricultural land. Global production reaches more than 370 million tons each year, making it the world’s fifth-largest agricultural product — after corn, sugar, rice, and wheat. The leading producers are China, India, Russia, Ukraine, and the USA. However, the main processing centers are in European countries like Germany, Poland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Great Britain, where high technology and standards enable dominance in the food industry.
Potatoes are grown in Serbia on about 20,000 hectares, yielding an average of 15-17 tons per hectare. Nevertheless, the best producers can produce up to 60 tons per hectare — a clear indicator of potential for growth and improvement. The peak of potato production in Serbia was in 1974, when nearly 1.15 million tons were produced. Establishments like the Guča Potato Institute, founded in 1954, have contributed to developing varieties such as Dragačevka, Jelica, Univerzal, Hybrid 8614, and Dragačevski mesečar.
Today, Serbia is a net importer of potato products — 12,000 to 15,000 tons of French fries alone — reflecting a dramatic drop in domestic production and processing.
Creating a new potato variety typically takes 12–13 years of selection, reflecting the extensive effort required to produce varieties adapted to growing conditions and resistant to disease.
Investment in potato production is significant — minimum investment starts at about 5,000 Euros per hectare. Furthermore, poor storage conditions result in massive losses, with 70,000–80,000 tons becoming unsuitable for further processing.
Potato chips production started in Serbia in 1971 in Čačak at the Chips Way factory. The industry received a boost in 1995 with the opening of the Marbo Produkt factory in Maglić, now a part of PepsiCo.
According to CompanyWall, there are 18 companies currently processing and canning potato products in Serbia. Nonetheless, producers face numerous struggles, including high energy and fertilizer prices, a shortage of quality seed, and unfavorable financial conditions — the industry collectively fell into a 11.47 million dinars loss in 2023.
Some companies, however, remain successful. Tanja Gavrilović from Guča led profits in 2023 with 1.79 million dinars; agricultural cooperative Naš Atar from Sombor followed with 1.74 million; while Pet Fries from Kać came in third with 233,000 dinars in profits.
The Pet Fries factory in Kać highlights its unique approach: growing its own raw materials, employing locals, and adding specialized processing methods to produce a finished product that stands out in the market.
