News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from Canada

The potato crop in Canada in mid-August appears to have good potential in many - though not all - regions to meet the needs of industry and to rebound after reductions.

The potato crop in Canada is in varying stages - from emergence to touching between rows. Potato growers everywhere are optimistic for the good growing conditions needed to move this crop in its early life stages.

The United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) provide an update on the potato planting in Canada (May 27, 2021). Seeding in Western Canada is winding up, while growers in the Atlantic region are in full planting mode.

Potato acreage in Canada will not be officially reported until early July, so it is often helpful to take an early look at industry projections across the country. The analysis is more difficult this year as demand for potato products returns to pre-COVID levels.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has lifted its voluntary suspension of export certification for P.E.I. seed potatoes, allowing trade to the United States to resume.

Potato Production in Canada for the year 2020, is estimated at 104,203,000 hundredweight. This is down 1.4 million hundredweight or 1.3 percent below de production in 2019.

Potato harvest in Canada is complete in most provinces with the exception of Quebec, according to this final crop report of the season prepared by the United Potato Growers of Canada

With the harvest season underway, the impact of summer's drought-like conditions is being unearthed in New Brunswick. Due to a lack of rainfall during the growing season, potato farmers say their yields are down significantly for fall 2020.

As the first day of fall arrives, the potato crop in Canada is in varying stages of growth and/or harvest. The United Potato Growers of Canada provide an update.

Crop sales in first half of 2020 topped CAD 200M despite COVID-19 pandemic. It has been on the wild side, but 2020 has started out well for Prince Edward Island farmers.

Right now, parts of Eastern Canada are facing moderate to severe drought conditions. Rainfall is critical for this crop. In Western Canada, the crop is running behind schedule as processors push to get new crop harvest underway. Prairie yields currently look average at best.

The Canadian Potato Crop is in the 'growing stage'. There is a recurring theme from coast to coast: It is dry – the crop is not suffering yet because
it is in the early stages of development but does need rain soon.

Many Canadian Potato growers have been dealing with a difficult two months with an unexpected supply of processing potatoes as a result of decreased sales of French fries, as sit-down restaurants shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 has shaken the whole world-impacting society and the global economy similar to the effect of a world war.

COVID-19-related restaurant closures lead to ‘curtailment’ of french fry production. Cavendish Farms has advised the P.E.I. potato producers under contract to supply the company with spuds to 'sell to other markets if they can'.

The increase in world potato production stalled in 2018 and failed to recover significantly in 2019. World output slipped by 1.5% to 368.247 million tonnes in 2018 figures just released by the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation show.

The United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) has released its most recent Canadian Potato Crop Report.

The United Potato Growers of Canada have released an update on the condition of the Canadian Potato Crop, as per August 15, 2019