News Potatoes
Canadian growers hit another bumper crop
This year a record amount of potatoes has been harvested in Canada, according to official statistics. This breaks the record of 2023, although it is only 17,000 tons. A combination of expanding acreage and good yields has led to a year-on-year increase in harvest volume.
According to Statistics Canada, 5.759 million tons of potatoes were harvested in the country this year. This is 17,000 tons (0.3%) more than last year. With 158,410 hectares, the acreage has hardly changed compared to the previous year. However, slightly fewer potatoes remained in the ground compared to last year, resulting in more hectares being harvested. Due to early frost this year, few crops were lost.
Acreage increases steadily
The acreage is not a record, but there has been a clear upward trend in potato cultivation over the past twenty years. This includes both ware and processing potatoes as well as seed potatoes. The yield per hectare is 37.1 tons, almost the same as in 2023. However, it is 5% higher than the five-year average. In recent years, the weather has often been favorable.
Alberta is the province that produces the most potatoes with 1.36 million tons. This is a decrease of over 6% from last year. Following Alberta is the prairie province of Manitoba, with 1.24 million tons of potatoes (6.6% less). This is mainly due to a decrease in demand for fry potatoes leading to a reduction in hectares. The provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan together account for half of all Canadian potatoes, with a focus on processing potatoes.
More potatoes in coastal provinces
The well-known 'potato island' Prince Edward Island (PEI) has seen the most hectares grown in five years and produced 1.17 million tons of potatoes. This is slightly more than what was harvested in 2023. The coastal provinces contribute 35% to the Canadian potato harvest. Yields here are higher on average this year compared to 2023, while yields in the west have decreased. This is attributed to a combination of acreage and growing conditions.
For this large harvest, a market needs to be found. Fortunately, the country can currently export its product to the neighboring US. In August, September, and October, more volume was exported compared to last year. In October, the volume was 129,500 tons, 10% higher than the same month last year, with 85% going to the US. It is noteworthy that the price level was 5% higher than last year, although prices in October have slightly decreased compared to September. Other major customers include Mexico and Japan.
Price nearly 30% higher
The prices for frozen fries from Canada have increased in recent years, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in Europe. This is because the country was already at the higher end of the price range. Over three seasons, the average price level has increased by almost 30% to $1930 per ton. This is equivalent to about €1,294. This puts Canada on par with the EU-4. Belgium and France are at similar levels, while the Netherlands is significantly higher at €1,400.
