b'MARKETNEWS Potato production rose four per cent in Canada last year, even with difficult harvest conditions that limited the crop in Manitoba and Alberta.Total potato production in Canada in 2019was up about 750,000 hundredweight on Jan. 1 from was 106.6 million hundredweight, a fourthe same time the previous yearwhich could per cent increase from 2018, according to StatisticsKEVIN MACISAAC cause supply problems in the coming months.Canada figures released Dec. 13. The 2019 figuresThats going to be an issue, because a lot more also show an average potato yield in Canada of justsupply is needed on the processing side to keep up over 312 hundredweight per acre, a seven per centwith the processing expansions, he said. MacIsaac increase from the previous year. explained because of increased processing capacity According to Kevin MacIsaac, general manager ofin Manitoba and Alberta, processing plants in both the United Potato Growers of Canada, the total pro- The amount of fresh potatoes in storage na- provinces will likely need to import potatoes from duction number could have been considerably highertionally was higher on Jan. 1 over the previous year,elsewhere in the coming months. if not for difficult harvest conditions in ManitobaMacIsaac noted. With more potatoes in storage thisSome are expected to come from Idaho; however, and Alberta, which resulted in thousands of acres ofyear, he said, it will make things easier for marketerslike some other American states, the large spud potatoes being left in the ground. distributing the 2019 crop.producer experienced major potato losses due to poor The total amount of unharvested potato acres inA year ago, we were short and had difficultyharvest conditions in 2019, MacIsaac said.2019 was just under 20,300 acres, with approxi- stretching the fresh crop to the end of the storageMacIsaac believes in Canada some harvested po-mately 13,000 of those acres in Manitoba. There wereseason, said MacIsaac, adding that pricing to datetatoes destined for the fresh market could be moved 4,400 acres left unharvested in Alberta, according tohad been very good. over to the processing sector, which would reduce the Stats Can report.MacIsaac pointed out that on the processingfresh piles in storage and could end up strengthen-MacIsaac noted that in Manitoba, it was a veryside, the amount of potatoes in storage nationallying prices for table potatoes. MARK HALSALLnice-looking crop all through the growing season. It would have been tremendous if they had been able to get that harvested.South of the border, total potato production inTotal Canadian Potato Storage Holdings (000 cwt) 2019 was 422.4 million hundredweight, accordingProvince Jan. 1, 2019 Jan. 1, 2020 % Changeto estimates released in November by the U.S.Prince Edward Island 16,650 18,340 +10.2Department of Agriculture. This is down 2.2 per cent New Brunswick 10,309 10,292 -0.2from the 2018 crop, which totalled 431.8 million hundredweight.Quebec 7,440 7,986 +7.3Ontario 3,777 4,016 +6.3STORAGE HOLDINGS Manitoba 12,160 12,240 +0.7According to UPGC figures, the total number ofAlberta 15,335 16,022 +4.5potatoes in storage in Canada was 69.6 millionBritish Columbia 813 675 -17.0hundredweight Jan. 1, 2020. Thats up 4.6 per centTotal Canada 66,484 69,571 +4.6from the same time in 2019, when storage holdings SOURCE:UNITED POTATO GROWERS OF CANADAtotaled 66.5 million hundredweight.MacIsaac said the Jan. 1 holdings were very close (within 0.5 per cent) to the 2017-2019 three-yearCanadian Potato Crop Production (000 cwt)average for that date, namely 69.2 million hundred- Province 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019weight of potatoes. Nfld. & Labrador n/a n/a 63 56 54Prince Edward Island saw its storage holdingsPrince Edward Island 24,850 25,723 24,463 22,600 25,200rise 10.2 per cent on Jan. 1 from the same period last year. Other provinces with sizable storage holdingsNova Scotia 330 432 432 365 416increases were Quebec (7.3 per cent), Ontario (6.3New Brunswick 15,100 14,335 15,159 15,670 16,400per cent) and Alberta (4.5 per cent). There was aQuebec 12,359 12,233 12,505 11,221 12,749slight increase in storage holdings, 0.7 per cent, inOntario 7,970 6,603 7,830 6,919 6,705Manitoba.Manitoba 21,630 22,400 22,200 20,300 19,700On the other side of the ledger, British ColumbiaSaskatchewan 1,675 1,700 1,625 1,454 1,500experienced the biggest decline in storage holdings, Alberta 19,270 19,519 20,572 21,762 21,718with a 17 per cent drop from the same time in 2019. Storage holdings were also down, albeit slightly, inBritish Columbia 1,663 2,205 1,824 2,100 2,145New Brunswick, which saw 0.2 per cent drop from theTotal Canada 104,907 105,224 106,673 102,447 106,577same period last year.SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA50 SPUDSMART.COM WINTER 2020'