Strong demand for potatoes and potato products and tight domestic supplies continues to drive increases in imports for the current (July – June) marketing year. For July 2020 – March 2021 total imports are up 9 percent, led by an 18% increase in chips and a 15 percent increase in dehydrated potatoes.

Potato sales for Q3 (January – March 2021) of Marketing Year 2021 have caught up to the changed buying habits that the pandemic brought about.

Groups encourage Mexico regulators to immediately begin the rulemaking process to allow for the importation of fresh U.S. potatoes throughout the country.

Potatoes USA, the marketing and promotion board for the U.S. potato industry, elected new leadership during the Annual Meeting on March 11, 2021. The newly elected Chairman and Executive Committee will lead the Board through 2021-2022.

A new video campaign has been launched by Potatoes USA to help combat meal fatigue and show consumer the many different meals that can be prepared using potatoes.

United States potato exports continue to recover but remain behind previous year levels. Exports for the first six months of the marketing year, July – December 2020, are behind the record levels set in 2019.

Record potato retail sales continued from October to December 2020, the second quarter of Potatoes USA’s marketing year 2021. All three months saw an increase in both dollar and volume sales, with the largest growth in December.

There was a 5% decline in the utilization of potatoes grown in the United States during the July 2019 – June 2020 marketing year (MY20).

Potatoes USA ha enviado el primer envío de patatas de siembra estadounidenses a Cuba. La carga mixta de 10 variedades diferentes se utilizará en ensayos realizados por el Ministerio de Agricultura de Cuba.