potatoes.meAzerbaijan's Potato Exports Rise, But Unit Prices Slip
Azerbaijan's potato export volume grew faster than its export revenue in the first half of 2026, which means the average price per ton actually declined even as the country shipped more potatoes and earned more dollars overall.
The headline figure
Trade Numbers in Context
Potato exports brought Azerbaijan just under $29.4 million in the first half of 2026 — a solid year-on-year gain, though a sliver of the country's overall trade haul. Between January and June, the country shipped 76,930 tons of potatoes abroad, according to State Customs Committee figures cited by Milli.Az and reported by medianews.az, generating $29,389,000 in export revenue. That is 7,852 tons (11.4%) more volume and $1,895,000 (6.9%) more value than the same period last year.
Set against Azerbaijan's total foreign trade turnover of $24,661,000,000 for the same six months — itself up 1.1% year on year — potato exports account for roughly 0.18% of the country's $16,320,000,000 in total exports. The broader trade picture moved on a different scale entirely: exports rose 26.7% while imports fell 27.6%, producing a trade surplus of $7,979,000,000, described in the source data as 5.9 times larger than a year earlier. Potatoes are a real but marginal line item in a ledger dominated by far bigger swings elsewhere in the economy.
Scale check
Volume Up, Price Down
The more interesting pattern sits inside the potato numbers themselves. Dividing this year's reported value by volume puts the average export price at roughly $382 per ton, versus roughly $398 per ton over the same period last year — a decline of around 4%. Export volume grew faster (11.4%) than export revenue (6.9%), which only works if the price per ton fell. The State Customs Committee figures cited by medianews.az don't break this down explicitly, but the arithmetic embedded in the two reported growth rates points to Azerbaijan selling more potatoes abroad for somewhat less money per ton than it did a year earlier.
A hidden price signal
What the Figures Don't Show
The report doesn't specify which markets absorbed the additional volume, what varieties were involved, or whether the price softening reflects global potato price trends, currency effects, or shifts in buyer mix. Those gaps matter for judging whether the export gain reflects genuine market expansion or simply moving more tonnage at thinner margins. Without destination-level or variety-level detail, the six-month snapshot from medianews.az reads as a top-line customs tally rather than a full picture of Azerbaijan's potato trade position.
The gap between volume growth (11.4%) and value growth (6.9%) signals a falling per-ton price, a detail that matters for judging whether Azerbaijan's potato trade is gaining strength or just moving more tonnage at thinner margins.
How much did Azerbaijan earn from potato exports in the first half of 2026?
Azerbaijan earned $29,389,000 from exporting 76,930 tons of potatoes between January and June 2026, according to State Customs Committee figures cited by Milli.Az and reported by medianews.az.
Did the price of Azerbaijan's potato exports rise or fall?
Based on the reported volume and value figures, the average export price per ton fell by roughly 4%, from about $398 per ton to about $382 per ton, even though total export revenue increased.
How significant are potato exports to Azerbaijan's overall trade?
Potato exports made up a small share of Azerbaijan's trade, representing roughly 0.18% of the country's $16,320,000,000 in total exports for the same six-month period.