It’s no secret there’s plenty of USA potatoes available for hauling for the 2012-13 season, if shippers can find enough buyers for the huge crop. However, the huge volume for shipping exists as well in Canada, which is struggling to figure out what to do with all its spuds.
Statistics Canada reports there are about 4.8 million tons of potatoes that have been harvested from 360,899 acres in Canada. The crop is distributed throughout Canada with 37 percent in the Prairie provinces, 39 percent in the Atlantic Canada region, 22 percent in central Canada and 2 percent in British Columbia.
Fresh vs. Processing in Provinces
Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Canada’s Potato Report for 2010-11,show potato shipments for fresh, processing and seed vary greatly depending upon the province. In New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta, the majority of production goes to the processors. In Quebec and British Columbia the reverse is true, with most of the loads going to retailers, wholeslaers and foodservice buying and selling fresh. Saskatchewan is the only province where the majority of production is slated for the seed sector.
Canada Exports to the USA
Canada exported 1.25 million tons of fresh and processed potatoes to the USA, its most significant potato-export trading partner, for 2010-11. AAFC’s Canada’s Potato Market Intelligence Report 2012 said fresh table potatoes exported to the United States accounted for 433,208 tons. That figure is nearly offset by the fact fresh potatoes shipped from the USA to Canada totaled 425,492 tons. This quantity represents approximately 9 percent of the total of Canadian production of fresh potatoes.
The USA also is Canada’s most significant trading partner for the export of seed potatoes with 55,600 acres of seed potatoes.