Ecuador: Wholesale Price of Súper Chola Potatoes Up 55% Since May
Ukuthatha okhiye
- 55.4% rise in the Súper Chola wholesale price since May
- 24.67 dollars per quintal was the price in early May 2026
- 38.33 dollars per quintal was the price on 13 September
- 73.1% rise in green plantain prices over the same period
Kungani kubalulekile
- Kwabalimi
- Growers with potatoes to sell have a price window now; those planting should budget for El Niño risk to the next harvest, including disease control
- Kwabahwebi
- Expect continued volatility in Andean potato prices; follow weekly SIPA data and conditions in Peru, where disease and drought are also lifting prices
60-isekhondi isifinyezo
The wholesale price of Súper Chola, Ecuador's main table potato variety, has risen 55.4% since May, according to the agriculture ministry's price information system SIPA, as reported by Expreso and La República. A quintal, about 45 kg, cost 24.67 US dollars at wholesale in the first week of May and 38.33 dollars by 13 September, an increase of 13.66 dollars, or roughly 30 cents per kilogram. Other staples also rose over the period: green plantain 73.1%, from 7.70 to 13.33 dollars a bunch, eggs 25% and chicken 17.3%. La República attributes the increases to climate factors, fluctuating input costs and logistics problems; neither report gives a potato-specific cause or names the regions most affected. The rise comes as El Niño strengthens along the Pacific coast of South America and neighbouring Peru reports higher potato prices linked to disease and drought. Growers selling now benefit, while those planting face the risk of disruption to the next harvest.
The wholesale price of Súper Chola potatoes, Ecuador’s main table variety, has risen by 55.4% since May, according to data from the agriculture ministry’s public price information system SIPA reported by the newspapers Expreso and La República.
In the first week of May, a quintal of Súper Chola cost $24.67 at wholesale. By 13 September the price had reached $38.33, both newspapers report. Ecuador uses the US dollar as its currency; a quintal is about 45 kg. The increase amounts to $13.66 per quintal in just over four months, or roughly 30 US cents per kilogram at wholesale.
Potatoes are part of a wider rise in food prices. Over the same period, green plantain rose 73.1%, from $7.70 to $13.33 a bunch, eggs 25% and chicken 17.3%, according to the reports.
Izinsuku zeviki. Zikhiphe ohlwini ngokuchofoza okukodwa.
La República attributes the increases to climate factors, fluctuations in the cost of farm inputs and logistics problems. Neither report gives a potato-specific cause or names the regions most affected.
Context
Súper Chola is grown mainly in the central Andean highlands. The price rise comes as El Niño conditions strengthen along the Pacific coast of South America. El Niño has passed its 2015 peak as the southern-hemisphere planting season opens, and neighbouring Peru is reporting higher potato prices linked to disease and drought.
Kungani kubalulekile
A 55% rise in the wholesale price of the country’s main potato variety matters for both growers and consumers. For growers with potatoes to sell, the current price is a window of opportunity; for those planting now, the key question is whether El Niño will disrupt the next harvest and keep prices high. Buyers and processors in Ecuador should plan for continued volatility through the coming season. The next SIPA data releases will show whether the rise continues after September or eases as new supply reaches the wholesale markets.
Isithombe: Llapingachos, Ecuadorian potato patties, at the market in Baños (illustrative). young shanahan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Isifinyezo Samazambane Omhlaba Wonke
Izindaba ezinhlanu eziphezulu, amanani, izexwayiso zezifo kanye nemicimbi. Ekuseni phakathi nesonto, akukho ukukhangisa.
Okulandelayo
Further SIPA data will show whether prices keep rising after September or ease as new supply reaches wholesale markets; El Niño is the main risk to the next crop.
Imithombo
- Expreso — https://www.expreso.ec/economia-y-negocios/canasta-basica-ecuador-productos-subieron-precio-septiembre-2026-296101.html
- IRiphabhulikhi - https://www.larepublica.ec/blog/2026/09/18/se-encarece-la-canasta-basica-la-papa-el-platano-y-el-pollo-registran-alzas-de-hasta-el-73/
- Data: SIPA, Ministry of Agriculture of Ecuador — https://servicios.mag.gob.ec/tableros/PreciosS/Papa
Kuxhunywe kulokhu okuqukethwe
- Izwe
- Ecuador
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