News on Potato Prices

Profits have fallen by more than £10m at McCain Foods GB after Britain's market-leading frozen chip maker was hit by a severe shortage of quality potatoes in the UK as a direct result of the extreme weather conditions in the 2012 growing season.

A new University of Idaho economic report shows potato procution costs have held steady.

Since potato prices in West Bengal are fixed by state government, smuggling of potatoes to surrounding Indian states that do not have fixed potato prices has become a major issue.

West Bengal state government today started selling potato at Rs 13 a kilo, a price pegged by chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on a day potato traders in Bengal began a 3-day strike to protest the administration’s ban on selling the tuber to other states.

Potato prices have almost doubled in most parts of India over the past one week. While most states are yet to take steps to check the spike in prices, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called a meeting on October 30 to review the situation.

Over the next 5 years, northwest European potato prices are expected to gradually climb and elevated price volatility set to persist, according to a new report by Rabobank.

Potato prices are expected to rise with this year’s average crop, ?bringing them back in line with the cost of production

US Consumers frustrated with historically high potato prices should look for some relief at the checkout lane soon when the late summer and fall crops start hitting store shelves.

The price of potatoes in Brazil reached the highest level in the last 10 years. Farmers say that this increase is due to the reduction in the planted area and the lack of product on the market.

Potato prices in West Bengal may depreciate by 8% on the back of a better crop prospect in south India. The south Indian crop is expected to enter the market next month which is likely to push down prices at the retail level.

Manitoba potato growers signed a contract with McCain Foods last week, but their prices won’t increase from last year.?

In a recently-filed lawsuit, Associated Wholesale Grocers claims that the United Potato Growers of America, United Potato state groups and many potato grower-shippers are illegally setting potato prices.

Several Tasmanian potato growers whose contracts were cancelled by McCain last year have rejected new contract offers from the company.

Red, right size and low on sugar, Lady Rosetta is the flavour of the season for north Gujarat’s farmers.

Idaho potato growers at a Monday meeting in Burley approved processing contracts with J.R. Simplot and McCain Foods that both include payment increases averaging 1.6 percent.

Idaho potato growers will vote Monday in Burley on contracts with McCain Foods and J.R. Simplot Co. paying a 1.6 percent average increase, according to sources involved in negotiations.

This Potato Council report provides an overview and comparison of the costs of production of potatoes for processing in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany.

In Bangladesh, favourable weather conditions and higher acreage are likely to boost potato yield in the ongoing harvesting season and have already pulled down the tuber's prices, agriculture officials and cold storage operators said yesterday.