Posts Tagged “North Carolina potato shipments”

North Carolina Potato Shipments to Start Last Half of June

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North Carolina’s potato growers will deliver big volume of fresh and chipping potatoes this summer in a relatively short marketing period.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and the North Carolina Sweet Potato Association reports much of the state’s potato production is located near Elizabeth City in the northeast coastal part of the state.

The bulk of the state’s crop is grown within about 100 miles of the coast.

Harvest usually starts in mid-June and extends through July. Good growing conditions have been reported.

The area harvested typically runs close to 16,000 acres, with variations up or down depending on chip market needs.

North Carolina grows red, yellow and white potatoes for fresh use, and growers also plant potato varieties demanded by chip processors. About 30% of the state’s output goes for fresh or table stock, while about 70% of the crop goes to the chip market.

Last year, the USDA said North Carolina shipped about 820,000 pounds of round red potatoes from June through August, with peak shipments in July. North Carolina yellow potato shipments in 2021 totaled 4.12 million pounds in June and July, with July accounting for about two-thirds of shipments.

Following the new crop harvest in Florida’s Hastings region, fresh North Carolina potatoes are shipped up and down the East Coast and sometimes into Canada.


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