The combined outdoor exhibition PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo 2026, organized by the DLG (German Agricultural Society), has confirmed its position as the international meeting place for the professional potato and sugar beet industry. Around 10,100 visitors from 79 countries attended the event on 9 and 10 September at Rittergut Gestorf Estate near Hanover, Germany to learn about innovations and solutions for competitive production systems. Visitors included potato and sugar beet growers, contractors, consultants and representatives from across the industry. 96 percent of visitors expressed a high level of satisfaction with the trade fair.
Approximately 300 exhibitors from 19 countries showcased machinery, inputs, varieties and services covering the entire potato and sugar beet value chain. Machinery demonstrations, trial fields and demonstration plots enabled visitors to experience new technologies and cultivation concepts under real farming conditions. The exhibition was accompanied by an extensive technical program. With the launch of SugarBeet Expo, sugar beet production gained its own international outdoor platform.
PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo provided strong momentum for competitive and future-oriented root crop production. The focus was on solutions enabling the profitable cultivation of potatoes and sugar beet in the face of volatile markets, climate change and increasing demands for efficiency and environmental compliance. The international exhibition and technical program covered the entire production chain, from varieties, soil cultivation, sowing and planting, fertilization and crop protection to harvesting, transport and processing. Solutions in the fields of digitalization, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence highlighted additional opportunities for more efficient processes, lower production costs and greater resilience.
“PotatoEurope and the inaugural SugarBeet Expo, held together for the first time, have impressively demonstrated the strength of innovative root crop production. Bringing these two sectors together encouraged exchange among professionals from the potato and sugar beet industries as well as discussion on common challenges and solutions. What makes the event particularly valuable is its practical relevance: new machinery, production systems and cultivation concepts could be experienced and compared under real field conditions. The high quality of the international professional participants and the intensive exchange underline the power of this format,” said Tobias Eichberg, Managing Director of DLG Markets GmbH.
High Visitor Satisfaction
According to the initial results of the visitor survey, 96 percent of visitors were highly satisfied with the event overall. More than 95 percent considered it a positive move to hold PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo in parallel. This high level of satisfaction is also reflected in visitors’ intentions to return: 73 percent would attend the next future German edition to be held in 2030.
The individual exhibition areas also received excellent ratings. 90 percent of visitors expressed high satisfaction with the range of exhibits and topics presented. Areas attracting particular interest included seed and plant breeding (41 percent); technologies for harvesting (36 percent); crop protection (23 percent); and seeding and planting (20 percent). The technical program was also rated highly (87 percent). Visitors particularly appreciated the relevance of the topics and their practical presentation.
The high quality of the visitor profile was also reflected in their decision-making power. 64 percent of visitors are directly involved in purchasing and procurement decisions, while a further 19 percent provide advice. Investment interest is also strong: 68 percent of visitors plan to invest in potato or sugar beet production within the next two years.
The event attracted international exhibitors and visitors. Around half of the exhibitors as well as more than 31 percent of visitors came from outside Germany.
Two Crops. One Strong Platform
The launch of SugarBeet Expo proved to be an ideal complement to PotatoEurope. Both crops face similar challenges in many areas, including soil health, crop rotation and crop protection, particularly measures to control the emerging threat from reed glass-winged cicada, as well as harvesting, logistics and growing efficiency requirements combined with an increasing shortage of skilled labor in Germany and across Europe.
The event demonstrated that digitalization and automation can provide solutions for sustainable productivity gains and help compensate for labor shortages. Combined with greater professional expertise, these technologies have the ability to reach their full potential. The joint platform created new perspectives and additional opportunities for professional exchange beyond individual crops and across the entire value chain.
“Potatoes and sugar beet have more in common than what separates them. Both crops place high demands on cultivation, technology and management while also needing to be produced economically and resource-efficiently. The combination of PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo creates genuine added value by bringing together two strong crops and their professional communities in one place,” emphasized Wilfried Wolf, Project Manager of PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo.
Modern Machinery in Action – Trial Fields Showcase Practical Solutions
Machinery demonstrations were a key highlight for visitors. Around 50 machinery combinations, self-propelled and stationary units showcased the latest technologies for planting and sowing, lifting and harvesting, as well as transport, cleaning and loading under real operating conditions.
Innovative crop protection technologies for potatoes and sugar beet were also demonstrated live. The trial fields focused on potato and sugar beet varieties as well as current agronomic challenges. Exhibits included crop protection strategies and varieties, approaches to plant health and pest monitoring, as well as crop rotation, herbicide and weed-management. Visitors were able to compare these approaches directly in the field and discuss them with experts.
Future Technologies for Root Crop Production
DLG’s “Digital Farming powered by FarmRobotix” Spotlight focused on autonomous machines, robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. Live applications demonstrated how digital solutions can make farming operations more efficient and sustainable.
The Agricultural Logistics DLG Spotlight focused on transport and logistics solutions, ranging from specialist equipment to digital applications. At the DLG Expert Stage, more than 20 presentations, expert talks and discussion panels provided additional technical guidance. Participating experts from farming, science, advisory services and industry discussed soil health, machinery trends, digitalization and robotics, as well as the economic future of potato and sugar beet production.
Strong Partners
The State of Lower Saxony served as the exclusive partner of both exhibitions.
The German Potato Industry Association (UNIKA) was the institutional partner and initiator of PotatoEurope 2026, while Golden Geest-Kartoffeln Erzeugergesellschaft mbH served as regional partner. The institutional partner of SugarBeet Expo was the German Sugar Industry Association (WVZ), with Nordzucker AG acting as regional partner.
Case IH was the exclusive tractor partner of both events.
Exhibitor Testimonials
“The combination of PotatoEurope and SugarBeet Expo provided the ideal platform to present our innovations to a broad international professional audience. Particular interest focused on our new potato planter, the fully electric ROPA Leguan, as well as the ROPA Keiler 2 DoubleSelect with additional separation belt and sorting platform. The new ROPA Taurus 6S celebrated its field premiere as one of our exhibition highlights, a powerful yet soil-friendly sugar beet loader with a bunker capacity of around 50 cubic meters. We would like to thank the organizing team led by Dr. Wilfried Wolf and Dr. Jobst von Schaaffhausen. Their professional communication, excellent organization and cooperative partnership with agricultural machinery manufacturers contributed significantly to the success of the event.”
Maximilian Englbrecht, Head of Marketing, ROPA Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH
“For GAUGELE GmbH, PotatoEurope was exactly the right place this year to engage directly with farmers, not by telephone or email, but over a cup of coffee at our stand. Whether discussing harvesting, storage or industry trends, this personal exchange is what matters. For us, this close relationship with customers and direct interaction represented the greatest benefit of the exhibition.”
Franz Behm, Technical Sales Support, GAUGELE GmbH
“For us, direct exchange with farmers, advisors and industry partners was the main focus. The many productive discussions at SugarBeet Expo demonstrated which topics are currently driving farm businesses and where the greatest opportunities for the future lie. This feedback is essential for ensuring that our work remains firmly aligned with the needs of practical farming.”
Gerrit Behrens, Product Manager, KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
“PotatoEurope is one of the most important platforms for the potato industry. Since it takes place in Germany only every four years, this edition was almost a home game for us. We were particularly pleased with the strong visitor response, the high professional level and the large proportion of international visitors. We were able to showcase our new high-performance varieties and conduct many valuable and intensive discussions with customers, partners and interested visitors from Germany and abroad. An all-round successful and very well-organized event.”
Jörg Renatus, Managing Director, EUROPLANT Pflanzenzucht GmbH
“Safe crop protection application and application success are not mutually exclusive. We discussed this topic with farmers, advisors and service providers at PotatoEurope, and the SprayAssist app brings this knowledge directly to the field. With our InterraScan soil scanning service, we are also demonstrating how digital soil analysis can make potato and sugar beet production more precise.”
Sebastian Funk, Lead Sustainable Farming & AG Solutions Technology / Digital Ag Commercialization DACH, Syngenta Agro GmbH
