News on Industry Associations

Domestic potato production could amount to 4.5 million tons this year, said the president of the Peruvian National Potato Producers Coordinator (Corpapa), Edilberto Soto Tenorio.

It’s time to celebrate Prince Edward Island Potatoes this winter, because February is PEI Potato Lovers Month in Canada!

The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association will honor Ron Norman with its Meritorious Service Award at their banquet on February 17th.

Europatat, the European Potato Trade Association, and DKHV, the German Potato Trading Association (Deutscher Kartoffelhandelsverband), are pleased to announce the dates for the annual Europatat Congress, that this year will take place in Düsseldorf (Germany) from 7 to 9 May 2015.

At the National Potato Council (NPC) Annual Meeting on January 9, 2015, in Orlando, Florida, seven NPC
past presidents were invited to come on stage.

POTATO EXPO 2015, held January 7-9, in Orlando, Florida, turned out to be the greatest event
yet for exhibitors and attendees.

On the opening day of the India International Potato Expo on Thursday, Dr BP Singh, director, Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, said potato played an important role in the nutritional security of the country.

'Potato Council' will become 'AHDB Potatoes' later this year as the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) operating divisions will be rebranded to create a simplified family of levy-payer facing brands under the AHDB name.

United States Potato Board President & CEO Blair Richardson surprised attendees at the POTATO EXPO 2015 with an industry challenge to install 3,000 potato-friendly salad bars in school lunch programs across the United States.

At the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2015 Annual Meeting, held January 9-10, 2015, in Orlando, Florida, Dan Lake from Lake Seed, Inc. of Ronan, Montana, was elected to serve as NPC’s president for 2015 and to lead the council’s Executive Committee.

Once again, the Washington State Potato Commission and Oregon Potato Commission have joined forces in the planning and execution of the 2015 Washington/Oregon Potato Conference, Jan. 27-29.

Romain Cools, secretary of the Belgian Potato Processors Association Belgapom expresses his views on the free potato market.

Port disruptions on the West Coast due to labor contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) are hurting Idaho agriculture and Idaho’s exporters.

In South Australia, McCain has sold its former potato processing factory at Penola to a meat processor, to the dismay of some local growers.

The United States Potato Board (USPB) received an allocation of $4,998,892 in program year 2015 Market Access Program (MAP) funds from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) at USDA. These funds will be used by the USPB to promote frozen, dehydrated, chip-stock, table-stock and seed potatoes in over 25 countries around the world.

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board has elected a new executive during its December 10th Board of Directors meeting. Alex Docherty of Elmwood was elected the new Chairman of the Board, succeeding Gary Linkletter, who completed four years as Chairman.

Tamas Houlihan has been named executive director of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) by the board of directors, effective immediately.

The weather might be warming up [well, in Australia that is, not here in Canada...PP] but that isn’t stopping Aussie consumers tucking in to a hearty serve of mashed potato, according to the latest wave of the industry-funded Potato Tracker project.