In Belgium, farmers are giving away potatoes for free—what’s the reason?

Due to a sharp drop in prices, farmers are unable to sell their harvest and have decided to give it away to the public. In Belgium, a farming family from the village of Vlamertinge (West Flanders) plans to distribute about 120 tons of potatoes for free due to a surplus of produce on the market.

This was reported by The Brussels Times.

The cause is a Europe-wide overproduction crisis—the price of potatoes has effectively dropped to zero, and farmers were faced with a choice: dispose of the harvest or give it away for free.

Het Torenhof Farm, which cultivates about 55 hectares of land, decided to choose the second option. According to the owners, disposing of the produce would require additional costs and resources.

“If we had to haul it away, dump it in a field, and destroy it, it would cost us time, and time is money. That’s why we’re giving it to people. It’s a win-win for everyone,” explained the farm’s owner.

After the announcement of the free giveaway, people began arriving at the farm in droves. According to journalists, a new car arrived roughly every 10 minutes, and visitors took the potatoes away in sacks, buckets, and wheelbarrows.

The initiative quickly gained attention: people came to the farm not only from various cities in Belgium but even from France.

“We had so many potatoes left… We thought: why not just give them to anyone who wants them?” said members of the farming family.

Despite the active distribution, the farmers admit that they won’t be able to get rid of all their stock. They plan to use part of the harvest as livestock feed or dispose of it.

It should be noted that in 2025, Ukraine was forced to double its potato imports due to a poor harvest, and now farmers don’t know what to do with the surplus. Prices for this “strategic” vegetable are falling, and the market is going through yet another cycle—from shortage to overproduction.

As a reminder, gasoline and diesel prices have fallen in Ukraine.

On Monday, April 20, the average price of diesel fuel fell by 1.33 UAH to 89.92 UAH/liter, and that of A-95 gasoline by 30 kopecks to 72.71 UAH/liter.

Ukrainian gas station chains partially lowered fuel prices as of April 18.