Canadian potato stocks are down 3.3 per cent compared to 2022 but still higher than the three-year average, a June 9 news release from the United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) said. The May holdings report showed a 1.2 per cent decrease.
“As inventory winds down, many shippers across Canada are keeping an eye on stocks and metering out the old crop to ensure they can meet commitments through to new crop,” UPGC said in the release.
The release is based on numbers from Statistics Canada. There were a record 14.4 million cwt of potatoes shipped from storage in May 2023, an increase of 13 per cent over April shipments and just 4.4 per cent higher than in May 2022.
Fresh and processing disappearance was slightly lower over the month while seed disappearance doubled, the report said. It was noted Quebec and Manitoba saw slight increases in fresh shipments while all other provinces’ movement in this sector was down. The opposite happened in processing with almost all provinces showing increased shipments of potatoes in the sector for May except for Quebec and Manitoba.
The report noted planting is now complete, or almost, in all provinces across Canada, with some of the early Warba crop in British Columbia having been harvested and in stores. Weather during planting was good in all areas of the country with most provinces reporting they were able to get spuds in the ground on schedule.
“However, in many provinces the weather has gotten hot and dry since planting, which has not yet impacted the crops drastically, but all growers are keeping a close eye on the forecast as the plants develop,” UPGC said.
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