According to data released from the United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) released Feb. 13, total Canadian Potato Storage Holdings on February 1, 2024 totalled 74,031 million cwt which is up 8.2% over February 2023 and well above the five year average.
The report notes that Quebec, PEI and New Brunswick are all showing lower stocks compared to the same month last year.
The decreased stocks in these provinces appear primarily attributed to significant disappearance in January. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to acknowledge that there are reports indicating higher cull rates in the eastern provinces, largely stemming from the challenges posed by the wet growing season and harvest, which have led to storage issues.
“The higher stock levels seem to still be in the western provinces and mainly in the processing sector. Although Ontario, Alberta and BC did show higher stocks in the fresh sector, in overall numbers, fresh inventories are down just over 5%for the country and if the current rate of disappearance continues we estimate very little carryover in this sector, however it is still early in the season,” the report states.
The seed sector experienced a reduction in overall stocks by 226,000 units, marking a decline of 2.3%. While there was surplus seed in Alberta, PEI, and Ontario, this was offset by reduced inventories in Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and British Columbia.
Read the full report here.
