Potato News

Potato prices in Europe double as harvest falls below average

A 10-million-tonne drop in the EU potato harvest has fueled a surge in spud prices across the continent. Supplies across Europe have fallen 13.5% this harvest, dropping from 64.6 million tonnes in 2017 to 54.4 million tonnes this year, as a result of this summer’s drought.
12/4/2018

Trade spat: Mexico tariff on US frozen fries remains in place

The National Potato Council (NPC) in the US reports that a formal signing of the new so-called USMCA trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico was signed yesterday, but Mexico’s 20-percent tariff on US frozen fries remains in place because of US tariffs on steel and aluminium.
12/3/2018

Video: Idaho potato operation restructured harvest and storage system

Wada Farms out of Michaud, Idaho restructured their harvest and storage system in 2016 with major changes. The operation went from two 10-row systems to one 16-row system for harvesting. They updated from two 6400 Spudnik harvesters to one 6640 harvester – a much bigger harvester (a “spud son of a gun”, one operator says).
12/3/2018

More farmers venture into potato production in Africa’s Zimbabwe country

Chimanimani district in Zimbabwe is slowly turning into a potato farming hub as most communal farmers in the high rainfall parts of the district have shifted into growing the cash crop that they say has better returns.
12/3/2018

Potato crisis in Canada’s Manitoba province

Potato problems in Manitoba and across the country could cause a shortage of the starchy dinner staple. In Manitoba, Canada’s second largest potato producer, thousands of acres of land with the plant went unharvested after a bad crop.
12/2/2018

Video: Idaho potato operation restructured harvest and storage system

US potato imports rise in quarter; demand up

US potato imports rose by 10 percent in volume and 12 percent in dollar value for the July-September marketing quarter from a year earlier, Potatoes USA reported. Fresh potatoes saw the biggest increase, a 32 percent gain to 77,507 metric tons, the marketing group said in a news release.
12/2/2018

Poor potato crop hits British crisp maker’s profits

A less-than-stellar potato crop has impacted Bradford-based snacks company Seabrook Crisps. Its gross profit percentage was down to 41.8% from 47% the previous year and operating profit fell to 11.3% from 14.9% in 2017. The main reason cited for the drop in profits was the poor potato crop throughout 2018.
11/30/2018

Photo report: Interpom | Primeurs show

From last Sunday, 25 November, until Tuesday, 27 November, the 19th edition of the Interpom | Primeurs was held at the Xpo in Kortrijk, Belgium. There were 328 exhibitors from 15 different countries at this trade show. The Show was visited by 19.508 people from 49 different countries.
11/30/2018

Cavendish Farms to install latest TOMRA steam peelers in new processing plant

Cavendish Farms, one of the larger potato processors in North America, is equipping its new french fry production facility in Lethbridge, Alberta with TOMRA’s Eco steam peelers. Cavendish Farms has existing solutions supplied by TOMRA Food at their processing facilities in New Annan, Prince Edward Island and Jamestown, North Dakota. The new production facility in Alberta will include the latest steam peeling technology from TOMRA.
11/30/2018

Fewer potatoes emerging from the 2018 US crop

Supplies of potatoes look to be lower this year across the U.S. “It appears we’re going to have a short supply of potatoes this year which we haven’t had in a long time,” says Ken Gad of South Easton, MA-based Cambridge Farms Inc. Gad notes that potatoes across the country have come in in uneven amounts.
11/29/2018

Trial results in Belgium with controlled release fertilizers on potato production

In a video published by ICL Specialty Fertilizers, the Jolly farming operation in Ittre, Belgium shares results of their trial with Agrocote Max, a controlled release specialty fertilizer produced by ICL Fertilizers. The Interra farm project is up and running for 6 years now together with Syngenta and New Holland.
11/29/2018

Video: Harsh potato harvest in Canada ‘worst in living memory’

From the Prairies to Prince Edward Island, a harsh fall harvest means Canada could be facing a serious potato shortage, one that is causing millions of dollars worth of Canadian potatoes to rot in the ground this year. A video report was aired by the CBC’s National news programme, in which an overview of the potato situation across Canada is provided.
11/29/2018

Scotland’s First Minister opens Albert Bartlett’s chilled potato plant

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has formally opened Albert Bartlett’s new chilled potato plant, unveiling a plaque at its headquarters in Airdrie to mark the occasion. Albert Bartlett, the UK’s leading supplier of fresh potatoes, welcomed the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon to its headquarters in Airdrie on Monday 26 November, where she unveiled a plaque to open formally the new chilled potato plant.
11/29/2018

Different soil tilling and mulching practices key to China’s potato crop, researchers say

Rong Li and colleagues at Ningxia University in Yinchuan, China set out to discover if different tilling and mulching practices could improve soil moisture—and crop yields—in China's Loess Plateau, where potato is the main crop. The researchers studied three tillage options (conventional, no-till, and subsoiling) combined with three mulching options (no mulch, straw mulch, and plastic film).
11/28/2018

Your next sofa could be built out of potato

A soggy pile of potato offcuts might not seem a likely birthplace for a “materials revolution”, but it has already begun – the trimmings and skins from our favourite vegetable could form furniture and fittings to help create a more positive, ‘circular’ approach to material use.
11/28/2018

Global potato promotion campaign launched in Europe

The global potato promotion campaign “Imagine a world without potatoes” was launched at the Interpom Primeurs event that is taking place in Belgium this week.The campaign, spearheaded and coordinated by the International Potato Center (CIP), based in Lima, Peru, is an effort supported by a host of international companies to promote the potato and its nutritional benefits and versatility as a food source among consumers around the world.
11/28/2018

The Little Potato Company introduces new look and new flavors at PMA Fresh Summit 2018

The Little Potato Company is making big waves this season—after debuting a new look and new product offerings at the PMA Fresh Summit in Orlando, Florida, earlier this year. Robert Schaulis, writer at AndNowUKnow spoke with Richard Vann, Vice President of Marketing and Product Innovation, to learn more about the company’s rebranding efforts
11/28/2018

US: A ray of hope in trade wars

Retaliatory tariffs placed on U.S. frozen potato exports to Mexico have encouraged Mexican purchasers to shift to frozen product from Canada and the EU. Sales of U.S. frozen potato products to Mexico in September 2018 were down more than 25 per cent compared to September 2017.
11/27/2018

McCain invests $75M in Canadian potato processing plants

McCain Foods is committing $75 million for two Manitoba potato processing plants, including those in Carberry and Portage la Prairie. A press release from the company says $45 million is earmarked for the Portage la Prairie facility for the purchase of a new high-efficiency potato sorting system, “cutting edge” processing and packaging equipment.
11/27/2018

New members join the Idaho Potato Commission

The Idaho Potato Commission has new members. The commissioners joined the group for a three-year term during its October meeting. “It’s a pleasure for me to welcome Todd and Brett, two well-respected veteran industry members, to the IPC,” Frank Muir, commission president and CEO, said in a news release.
11/27/2018

Canada: Many PEI potato suppliers haven’t started packing yet

Potato growers and shippers in Prince Edward Island are holding back on packing as they wait to assess their crops after frost back in September. The frost came earlier than usual while the potatoes were still in the ground. As a result, supplies are very tight and will be so for the foreseeable future. “Potato supplies are very tight right now because a lot of producers haven’t started packing yet,” noted Ashton Perry of W.P. Griffin.
11/26/2018

An all-potato diet: 8 years later

Chris Voigt made national and international news when, for two whole months, he ate nothing but potatoes. It’s been eight years since Voigt, the executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, embarked on his 20-potatoes-a-day diet. From the start of October through November in 2010, Voigt consumed only spuds, a few basic seasonings and small amounts of oil for cooking. His endeavor drew attention from NBC’s Today Show, CBS News, Fox, NPR and the UK’s Daily Telegraph.
11/26/2018

Potatoes down under? Yes!

Look nowhere else than New Zealand to find them spuds down under! The potato industry in NZ is valued at $982 million per annum, says Gemma Caroll, Communications and Engagement Officer at Potatoes New Zealand. Gemma says that processed products make up 65% of that value.
11/26/2018

Potato storage: Specialist suggests options

It happens every harvest – you look at your potato storage capacity and wonder, “Do I have enough – is it time to expand?” Says Chad Kleisinger, potato storage specialist at Meridan: “When you decide it is time to increase or update your storage facilities, your first question will most likely be: Where do I start?” Here are some beginning questions to help organize your thoughts as you consider expanding your storage capacity.
11/25/2018

Syngenta announces registration of new potato seed piece treatment

Syngenta Canada recently annou ced the registration of Vibrance® Ultra Potato as a new seed piece treatment for the suppression of pink rot and control of key seed- and soil-borne diseases, including late blight. Vibrance Ultra Potato combines difenoconazole (Group 3), sedaxane (Group 7), and mandipropamid (Group 40) in a convenient liquid pre-mix formulation.
11/25/2018

Final potato harvest update for Canada

Kevin MacIsaac, General Manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada released the final harvest update report this week. In Prince Edward Island, it is said that after a month of very high rainfall, the last suitable day for harvest was November 9th. Many growers dug for 24 hours around the clock until rain came again in the early hours of November 10th. Abnormally cold temperatures dipped to -15 Celsius and two snowstorms since have prevented further progress.
11/24/2018

Worldwide campaign hopes to put potatoes back on menu

A global campaign due to launch next year will harness the marketing budgets of multinational companies and promotional agencies around the world in a bid to halt the downward trend in potato consumption. ‘Imagine a World Without Potatoes’, an industry-led campaign run by the International Potato Centre in Peru, has already attracted the support of potato giants McCain Foods and Pepsico together with Irish, Canadian, Australian, Chinese, Russian, Norwegian and other potato-industry partners.
11/23/2018

Japanese potato growers adopting modern cultivation practices

Nowadays it is becoming rather difficult to find operators to work on potato farms, according to Mariko Kihira in Japan. Mariko writes that Japanese sensitive potato varieties are less harmed by a new way of cultivation of potatoes in that country that is taking place on many farms nowadays.
11/22/2018

A spore trap network to detect potato pathogens

During the summer of 2018, the University of Idaho and industry partners rolled out a spore trap network that uses recent developments in spore sampling technology and molecular diagnostics to detect airborne spores of potato pathogens. These traps detect spores of pathogens that cause late blight, early blight, white mold, brown spot and grey mold. The network is comprised of 14 Burkard multi-vial cyclone spore samplers, which operate continuously for 7 days, automatically changing the sampling vial daily.
11/22/2018

Current trends in the Indian potato market

According to Mr S.K. Gautam, CEO of NR Tradewind Services Pvt Ltd in Delhi, higher consumer prices for potatoes can be expected during the next months in India. Mr Gautam says this trend is confirmed by several market sources and is indicative of the heavy rains and floods across many regions in India during the past growing season.
11/22/2018

Coming to terms with Pythium leak in potatoes

Dr Eugenia Banks, potato specialist and consultant for the Ontario Potato Board in Canada, reports that Pythium leak has been showing its ugly face before harvest in a number of fields this year. She says that symptoms of Pythium leak at the early infection stage are moist gray or brown lesions around wounds or near the stem end of tubers.
11/21/2018

Global Potato News magazine published

The new Global Potato News magazine was launched recently. A print version of the magazine is now being mailed to industry folks around the world. The magazine can be viewed as a pdf file on the website. The magazine is published as a split North American and European edition. For the launch issue, the editorial content is similar for both editions, but for coming issues we will have a slight difference in content, although the focus of the editorial will be on articles and news of interest to a global audience.
11/20/2018

Sonae retail group in Portugal promotes health benefits of potatoes

Potatoes are indispensable in the Portuguese cuisine. They are the basis of traditional dishes. Sonae, leading retailer in that country, has modernized its display of potatoes. The company also promotes how excellent potatoes are in terms of nutrition. The Portuguese gastronomy is rich in dishes and recipes. Potatoes play a major role in the daily meals. They are used in soups, cooked, grilled, baked, mashed or prepared in the oven.
11/19/2018

Frozen french fry industry on the rise in China

Processed potatoes in China account for about 15% of total production and include products such as starch, dehydrated potatoes, chips, and frozen French fries (FFF), according to a report presented by USDA Foreign Agricultural Service – “China – Peoples Republic of Potato and Potato Products Annual Report”.
11/18/2018

Idaho potato industry Grower of the Year awards

Both winners of this year’s Idaho potato industry Grower of the Year awards quickly credit others for any success they’ve had, Capital Press reports. Potato Growers of Idaho selected Fred Brossy, whose family owns Ernie’s Organics near Shoshone, as Potato Grower of the Year. The seed-focused Idaho Crop Improvement Association selected Mike Telford, principal in the multi-location Telford Sun Valley & Lost River Seed, as Potato Seed Grower of the Year.
11/18/2018

Newly designed machines for mechanical potato haulm removal

Mechanical removal of potato foliage prior to harvest is coming into the spotlight nowadays due to fact that some of the most popular chemicals in use for potato vine desiccation is under threat of being banned, or already prohibited in some potato producing countries.
11/16/2018

Belgapom’s Romain Cools responds to European ‘fry war’ with Colombia

The Belgian, Dutch and German potato industries are afraid that it will become increasingly difficult to export frozen fries to the South American market. Colombia has announced that it will charge anti-dumping tariffs on frozen potato products from these three European countries.
11/16/2018

Analysis of 2018 US potato production estimates

The United Potato Growers of Canada released an analysis of the U.S. 2018 potato production estimates on November 14. Kevin MacIsaac, general manager, UPGC, provided the following commentary. NASS estimates 2018 production will be up 3.7 million hundred weight in Idaho.
11/16/2018

HZPC’s Potato Woman of the Year calls potatoes ‘the largest vitamin pills in the world’

Potato company HZPC has named Dr. Marie Rasochová (80) from the Czech Republic as its Potato Woman of the Year 2018. Marie Rasochová is a renowned promotor of potatoes in the Czech Republic. She is well known for promoting potatoes as the largest vitamin pills in the world. She spreads her message on radio, television programmes, in magazine articles, newspaper stories and during road shows.
11/15/2018

Deciphering potential climate change impacts on potato production

Allan Siano is a Senior Science Research Specialist at the government of the Philippines, undertaking a PhD programme in Horticultural Science at the School of Agriculture and Environment of Massey University, New Zealand. Siano says recent extreme weather events such as heat and drought, and unprecedented heavy rain have resulted in reduced bulking and encouraged rotting of tubers in major potato production areas in New Zealand.
11/15/2018

Germany: Low potato harvest seriously impacts seed, processing sectors

After completion of the potato harvest in Germany the expected low yield of the crop due to the extreme drought this summer became a reality, the German association of fruit, vegetable and potato processing industry (BOGK) says in a press release today.
11/15/2018

How to remove CIPC residue from potato storage buildings?

Chlorpropham (or CIPC) is widely used as a sprout suppressing agro-chemical applied to stored potatoes. CIPC has been in use for more than 50 years. Today, various safety issues and concerns have surfaced primarily due to continuous and long-term use of CIPC. While the use of CIPC is strictly regulated in some countries, it is expected to be banned in others in the near future.
11/14/2018

New dealerships for AVR potato equipment in Canada

AVR, Belgian manufacturer of potato equipment, recently appointed 3 new dealerships in Canada. AVR manufactures a full range of agricultural machinery for the cultivation of potatoes as well as other bulbs and tubers, ranging from seed bed preparation, planting and ridging to haulm topping, harvesting and storing.
11/14/2018

A solution found for the acrylamide problem?

Acrylamide in refined food is a growing and serious concern among international health authorities. Zeracryl AS in Norway is a company that collaborated with the Norwegian fry manufacturer Hoff SA to develop a new solution to reduce the development of unacceptably high acrylamide levels in potato fries during processing.
11/14/2018

US potato exports down: Retaliatory tariffs blamed

The first quarter of the July 2018 – June 2019 marketing year saw significant declines in U.S. potato exports compared to the same time frame the previous marketing year. In a press release issued earlier today, Potatoes USA says the volume of frozen potato product exports dropped 6%, with values down 5%. Dehy export volume and value are both down 7%, while the volume of fresh exports declined 12% with value off 10%.
11/13/2018

Potatoes may have altered ancient people’s genomes, researchers say

As the ancient Andean people turned wild tubers into the domesticated potato, the potato may have altered the genomes of the Andeans who made it a staple of their diet, according to new research. Potatoes, native to South America, became an agricultural crop thousands of years ago in the Andean highlands of Peru. Now, researchers have used DNA analysis to show that the ancient populations of the Peruvian highlands adapted to the introduction of agriculture and an extreme environment in ways distinct from other global populations.
11/13/2018

An app to smartly identify plant pests and diseases

Modern technology put to practical use for potato growers: A smartphone app (now also available online) developed by The James Hutton Institute in Scotland can help with disease identification in the field.
11/13/2018

Scientists discover new virus infecting potatoes

A new species of the genus Potyvirus infecting potatoes was discovered by scientists working at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) in Edinburgh. In a recent scientific paper they are proposing the name “Potato yellow blotch virus” (PYBV) to identify the virus in future. It was discovered in a potato breeding line.
11/12/2018

New faces at Potatoes New Zealand

Potatoes New Zealand is the official organization representing potato growers’ interests in that country. Chris Claridge functions as Chief Executive of the organization. Earlier this year, he announced that two new staff members joined Potatoes New Zealand: Iain Kirkwood and Gemma Carroll.
11/12/2018