News on Potato Trade from Northern America

Potato Expo 2024 is primed to be a unique opportunity to explore the world of potatoes, network with industry leaders, and gain insights into the future of this essential crop.

In the fall of 2021, the detection of potato wart disrupted sales of Prince Edward Island (PEI) potatoes to the United States, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of Islanders.

United States potato exports reached record value and volume in the 12-month period from July 2022 – June 2023. Export values increased 19.05% to USD 2.2 billion, and export volume increased 3.85% to 3.3 million metric tons (fresh weight equivalent).

Washington potato farmers can’t keep pace with worldwide cravings for french fries, hash browns, tots, potato chips and other processed potato products.

Idaho potatoes make it far into Asian markets, but Japan has yet to open its doors to the Gem State’s most famous export.

In 2022, United States potato exports reached a record USD 2.1 billion in sales. Compared to 2021, volume sales declined -4.2% but were higher than 2018 and 2020 (fresh weight equivalent).

With international markets across the globe showing solid signs of recovery, it’s no surprise that the value of U.S. potato exports was up for all potato types July – Dec. 2022, compared with the same six months in 2021.

To help offset rising food costs, four farms on Prince Edward Island are opening their potato storages to Islanders. Visitors are invited to help themselves and pick unwashed potatoes directly from the pile in storage. The event occurs Saturday, March 11th, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

The President of Potatoes USA says worldwide demand for the tuber is outpacing production.

Potato retail sales in the United States increased in dollar value by 17.2% but decreased in volume sales by -1.3% from October – December 2022 compared to the same timeframe a year ago.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service is awarding USD 202.7 million to more than 60 U.S. agricultural organizations to help expand export markets for U.S. farm and food products through the Market Access Program.

Across the globe, restaurants are back to operating at normal capacity, borders are opening for tourism, and many consumers are looking for high-quality, nutritious food options, all leading to strong demand for US potatoes.

US Potato retail sales increased in dollar sales by 17.8% but decreased in volume sales by 2.1% from July - September 2022 compared to the same timeframe a year ago. Despite a small decrease in volume sales.

The World Potato Congress Inc. presents its sixth webinar this year on December 13, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (USA/Canada)

The minister of agriculture of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada has tabled legislation that would give the provincial government a lead role in trying to prevent the spread of potato wart in the province.

Eagle Eye Produce had been harvesting new crop potatoes for several weeks before beginning harvest for its storage supplies the week after Labor Day. While it is still too early to know the overall projection for the crop.

Potato retail sales in the United States increased in dollar value and decreased slightly in volume from April - June 2022, compared to the same period in 2021. As prices increased by 13.6%, dollar sales increased by 12.6%. Volume sales decreased 0.8%.

U.S. farmers started shipping fresh potatoes into the Mexican interior in May, about 20 years after an initial deal was signed between the two countries.