News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from the United States

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The National Potato Council (NPC) applauded the Trump Administration’s announcement today to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The National Potato Council (NPC) has sent a letter to President Trump with suggestions how the NAFTA agreement can be improved to benefit the potato trade.

The Potatoes USA international marketing committee met prior to the Annual Meeting in Denver March 15 & 16. The committee heard how U.S. potato exports have grown 183% in the past 20 years and now account for close to 20% of production.

Do you know the Top 6 potato varieties grown in the United States? We created an overview based on the USDA data for the 2016 fall potato crop.

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 recently released U.S. International Trade Commission’s report on the potential economic impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) provides many examples of the benefits this free trade agreement would provide.

Congress is pushing the Agriculture Department to exempt groups such as Potatoes USA (formerly known as the United States Potato Board) from public scrutiny of their internal operations (Freedom of Information Act).

Based on a review of the recently released Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) agreement text, the National Potato Council (NPC) strongly supports the trade deal reached with
Australia, Brunei, Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore
and Vietnam.

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.

The 13 major potato States held 130 million cwt of potatoes in storage April 1, 2015, up 9 percent from April 2014.

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.

Columbia Basin potato processors slowed down during the West Coast port impasse, making fewer potatoes into french fries, hash browns and other potato products shipped around the world.

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.

Port disruptions on the West Coast due to labor contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) are hurting Idaho agriculture and Idaho’s exporters.