U.S. growers planted a few more potatoes this year, but industry officials and shippers aren’t overly worried about slumping markets.
About 933,000 acres of fall potatoes were planted this year, up from 931,000 acres in 2008, according to a July 10 acreage estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
While it’s still early in the game, the USDA estimate suggests 2009 spud markets could find a nice balance between supply and demand, said Lee Frankel, president of Salt Lake City-based United Potato Growers of America.
Frankel and other industry leaders had warned growers earlier in the year not to get too aggressive with plantings following last year’s strong markets.
“At this point, acreage is in the ballpark of where it should be,” he said.
While yields are still a wild card this early in the season, based on plantings, the industry has a good chance of finding a level where, on the one hand, growers make a profit and, on the other, customers have plenty of promotable product, Frankel said.
Another positive sign heading into harvests is new market data that shows demand for potatoes has picked up at both retail and foodservice in recent months, Frankel said.
