Northern America

Northern America has a well-established and highly diversified potato industry, with production concentrated mainly in the United States and Canada and additional production in Mexico. The region supports potatoes for fresh consumption, processing, seed and specialty markets. In the United States, major production areas include Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Colorado, Oregon, Maine, Minnesota, California and Michigan, while Canada’s important production provinces include Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. USDA estimated combined U.S. and Canadian potato production at about 539 million cwt in 2025, while the three-country total for 2024 was about 595 million cwt.

Potato production in Northern America is closely linked to regional climate, soil conditions, processing infrastructure and established supply chains. The United States produces potatoes across a wide range of environments, with Russet types particularly important in northern and western production states and white potatoes having an important role in fresh and chip markets. Canada has a coast-to-coast potato industry, with production divided among seed, table and processing sectors. In 2024, about 69% of Canadian production was directed to processing, particularly French fries and chips, while 20% went to the fresh market and 11% to seed.

The region is also one of the world's major potato processing and trading centers. The United States and Canada have developed large industries for frozen French fries, potato chips, dehydrated products, starch and other processed potatoes, supported by specialized varieties, contract production, storage and processing facilities. Canada exported approximately CAN USD 3.7 billion worth of potatoes and potato products in 2024/25, with the United States accounting for the overwhelming majority of its exports. Cross-border trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico makes Northern America an integrated potato market for fresh, seed and processed products.

The potato originated in the Andes of South America and reached Northern America through European exploration and settlement. Historical records indicate early potato cultivation in the region during the seventeenth century, although the exact routes and dates of some early introductions remain uncertain. Potatoes were reportedly grown in Bermuda for supply to Virginia colonists by 1621, while the first well-documented introduction into New England occurred in 1719, when Irish settlers brought potatoes to Londonderry, New Hampshire. Potato cultivation subsequently expanded through the eastern colonies and eventually across the United States.

Canada has an especially long history of potato cultivation. A small potato planting was established at Port Royal in Nova Scotia in 1623, making it one of the earliest documented potato-growing sites in Northern America. Over the following centuries, potatoes became an important food and farm crop across the Atlantic provinces and later expanded westward. The development of commercial agriculture, railways, irrigation, improved varieties, mechanized harvesting, cold storage and processing industries transformed potatoes from a subsistence crop into a major commercial commodity. Today, the United States and Canada remain major producers and exporters, while Mexico contributes an important potato industry within the wider Northern American market.