News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from the United States

The toll that hot dry weather took on the Red River Valley 2021 potato crop won’t be visible until harvest begins in a few weeks, but it’s already clear it has affected yields and quality.

United States imports of potatoes and potato products for the July 2020 – June 2021 marketing year increased by 12% in fresh weight equivalent volume and 16% in value, compared to the previous marketing year.

Exports from the U.S. were impacted by reduced demand and shipping problems starting in January 2020; this reduced demand carried through the end of 2020.

From July 2020 - June 2021, potato sales in the United States increased in dollars by 3% but declined slightly in volume by 0.3% compared to the previous July-June marketing year.

All-yellow flesh potatoes continue to rise above russets, reds and whites in the critical metric of retailer volume sales, an encouraging sign for grocers as growers ready for their upcoming fall harvests.

The United States pressured Mexico on Wednesday to allow genetically modified crops into the country and to open up access to U.S.-grown potatoes. Trade talks were held Wednesday in Mexico City.

You may have read last week that Mexican Agriculture Secretary Víctor Villalobos Arámbula is expected to travel to Washington, D.C. in early August to meet with his American counterpart, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Strong demand for potatoes and potato products and tight domestic supplies continues to drive increases in imports for the current (July – June) marketing year. For July 2020 – March 2021 total imports are up 9 percent, led by an 18% increase in chips and a 15 percent increase in dehydrated potatoes.

Potato sales for Q3 (January – March 2021) of Marketing Year 2021 have caught up to the changed buying habits that the pandemic brought about.

Groups encourage Mexico regulators to immediately begin the rulemaking process to allow for the importation of fresh U.S. potatoes throughout the country.

The Boards of Directors of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh) have reached an Agreement in Principle to create a new global trade association combining their resources and expertise.

The National Potato Council(NPC) and 26 leading food and agriculture associations have expressed concerns over the rapid deterioration of the trade relationship between the United States and Mexico

On February 17, 2021, the Mexican Supreme Court released a draft ruling that would overturn a 2017 lower court decision preventing the Mexican federal government from implementing regulations to allow the import of fresh US potatoes throughout the country.

United States potato exports continue to recover but remain behind previous year levels. Exports for the first six months of the marketing year, July – December 2020, are behind the record levels set in 2019.

In the end, 2020 was a pretty good year for Idaho’s iconic potato industry, but it sure wasn’t easy.

With the inauguration of US President Biden a week behind us now, Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council discusses what the impact of the new administration on the potato industry might be.

Record potato retail sales continued from October to December 2020, the second quarter of Potatoes USA’s marketing year 2021. All three months saw an increase in both dollar and volume sales, with the largest growth in December.

There was a 5% decline in the utilization of potatoes grown in the United States during the July 2019 – June 2020 marketing year (MY20).