‘The drought has left its mark’: Slovenia’s potato lovers lament low yields

Prekmurje, Slovenia – Lipovci, a village of about 1,000 residents in the flatlands of northeastern Slovenia, transformed into a hub celebrating a beloved national dish.

The air carried a sweet, juicy aroma as it hosted the 26th international festival of roasted potatoes.

Hundreds of people and more than 50 societies were united – farmers and avid potato eaters from across the country, roasting their own versions of this national dish one September morning.

“I’m a potato guy, through and through,” Matjaz Lavric, from the capital, Ljubljana, who has attended the festival for the past 15 years, told Al Jazeera. “Life just isn’t the same without them … When I’m home, potatoes are always on the menu.”

His recipe’s key ingredient is tarragon. “I’d happily eat them as a main course.”

Estimates by the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia suggest a loss of between 30 and 90 percent for this year’s potato harvest – the yield having been hit by Europe’s severe droughts.

In 2025, Slovenia produced only about a third of its total potato consumption, a rate that keeps dropping due to other factors including higher fertiliser prices, restrictions on pesticide use and low purchase prices.

Janez Jambrosic, a small farmer from the southern town of Velike Lasce, lost half of his potato harvest this year.