News on Potato Prices from the Americas

Un reciente estudio revela que los estadounidenses pagaron más por las papas que consumían debido a acuerdos establecidos entre cooperativas de productores. El cartel llegó a controlar el 60% de la producción en 2005.

Last week the Brazilian Government has decided to impose an anti-dumping duty on frozen potatoes (tariff code 2004.10.00; mostly frozen french fries) imported from Germany, Belgium, France and The Netherlands. The level and duration of the anti-dumping duties are not yet published.

Lower retail prices for several foods, including eggs, whole milk, cheddar cheese, chicken breast, sirloin tip roast and ground chuck resulted in a decrease in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey. However, potato prices were up slightly.

The low price of potatoes in the domestic market in Argentina has resulted in a good start for the export of Argentinian potatoes, with a significant increase in demand, mainly from Latin American countries like Brazil and Paraguay.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is changing the name of the Fruit and Vegetable Program to the Specialty Crops Program effective immediately. Because of the expansion of products covered, the program name is being changed to be more inclusive.

Wada Farms is currently planting next year’s crop. While potatoes from last season are still plentiful in the market and there is no issue with supply, large-sized Russet potatoes will be short in Idaho until new crop comes on.

Southern Idaho Potato Cooperative growers have agreed to a contract that slightly reduces potato prices but requires processors to accept at least 90 percent of their 2014 acreages with individual farms.

New research from the United States Potato Board (USPB) reveals the complexity and range of price sensitivities within the potato category.

The president of the Potato Growers Association (Asopapa) of the state of Carabobo (Venezuela), Aldemaro Ortega, said the price per kilo, for the potato processing companies, had been set at 40 bolivars.

Idaho is currently confronted with the unusual situation that large Russet potatoes are far more expensive than small Russets and the price gap is only increasing.

A former Potato Growers of Idaho executive director believes Idaho’s capacity to produce and pack potatoes has outgrown the market, at the expense of growers.

In the first week of June, an Idaho potato grower could expect to receive between $7.75 and $8.25 for 100 pounds of potatoes, depending on quality, according to data. In the first week of July, prices had fallen to between $4.25 and $4.75.

Potato Processor Cavendish Farms of Jamestown, North Dakota, United States, has reduced its contracts with Manitoba growers (Canada) to 305,000 hundredweight for 2014

Keystone Potato Producers Association based in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, has yet to complete negotiations with Simplot Canada II over a contract for 2014 production.

Farmers in Aroostook, Maine brace for a tough year as processors pay less and reduce orders by as much as 20 percent.

There are two likely scenarios facing U.S. potato growers in the 2014-15 season, and neither of them is sunny, according to Jerry Wright, president and chief executive officer of the United Potato Growers of America, Salt Lake City.

Manitoba potato farmers could face steeper cuts in contracted potato production unless they can become more cost competitive with other areas of North America, a senior official with McCain Foods says.

Idaho potato farmers who sell to McCain Foods have agreed to a contract that maintains roughly the same pricing as last season, said Dan Hargraves, who negotiated on their behalf as executive director of Southern Idaho Potato Cooperative.