Northern America

Potato cultivation is a vital agricultural industry in North America, with the United States, Canada, and Mexico being major producers and exporters. The U.S. is one of the largest potato producers globally, with key growing states like Idaho, Washington, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, particularly renowned for varieties like the Russet Burbank. Idaho alone produces about one-third of all U.S. potatoes, driving the country’s robust processed potato industry, which includes frozen French fries, potato chips, flakes, and mashed potatoes.

Canada, led by Prince Edward Island, is a significant exporter of fresh and processed potatoes, especially to the U.S., which is its largest trading partner. Mexico, with regions like Sinaloa and Sonora, supplies both fresh and processed potatoes to North America. The U.S. is a key exporter of potatoes and processed products, with exports valued at over $1.5 billion annually, reaching markets such as Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Both the U.S. and Canada are major exporters of frozen potato products.

The potato, originally native to South America, was introduced to North America during the early colonial period. Early settlers in Virginia and the Carolinas likely acquired potatoes from Spanish ships, but the first confirmed potato crop was planted in 1719 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, by Irish immigrants, leading to the popular term "Irish potato."

From New Hampshire, potato farming spread rapidly across the eastern United States and into Canada, where Scottish and Irish immigrants helped establish it as a staple crop, particularly in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. In Mexico, potatoes arrived through Spanish colonizers and became integrated into northern agricultural systems, especially in states like Sinaloa and Sonora.

The 19th century witnessed a significant surge in potato production, fueled by Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine, particularly along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. By the late 1800s, agricultural breeding programs had improved potato yields and disease resistance, firmly establishing the potato as a key agricultural commodity across the continent.

Today, the United States—led by major producing states such as Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, and North Dakota—along with Canada and Mexico, are among the leading contributors to North America's thriving potato economy.