NASS: US February Potato Stocks up 7% from last year

The 13 major potato States held 206 million cwt of potatoes in storage February 1, 2008, up 7 percent from last year and 9 percent above February 1, 2006. Potatoes in storage accounted for 52 percent of the 2007 fall storage States’ production, up 3 percentage points from last year. Klamath Basin stocks totaled 2.70 million cwt on February 1, 2008, 4 percent higher than last year. Klamath Basin includes California and Klamath County, Oregon potato stocks.

Disappearance of 194 million cwt from the start of harvest to February 1 was down 1 percent from last year but up 5 percent from 2006. Shrink and loss, at 18.0 million cwt, was down 2 percent from the previous year but 7 percent above the same date in 2006.

Processors have used 104 million cwt of 2007 crop potatoes so far this season, down 4 percent from a year ago but 8 percent above 2 years ago. Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon total processing decreased 3 percent from a year ago, Maine’s total processing was 3 percent below the same date in 2007, and Washington and the rest of Oregon total processing was down 6 percent from last season. Dehydrating usage was 20.9 million cwt of the total processing, down 12 percent from last year but 9 percent above the same date in 2006.