News on The Potato Supply Chain from Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has recently confirmed the presence of potato wart in two fields on a farm in Prince Edward Island (PEI). Potato wart is a regulated quarantine pest in Canada.

Potato harvest in Canada is complete in most provinces with the exception of Quebec, according to this final crop report of the season prepared by the United Potato Growers of Canada

With the harvest season underway, the impact of summer's drought-like conditions is being unearthed in New Brunswick. Due to a lack of rainfall during the growing season, potato farmers say their yields are down significantly for fall 2020.

Two research scientists on P.E.I. have spent their summer trying to grow a better potato, more resistant to scab and greening, which are both costly problems for potato growers.

The smallest potato from the Carcross/Tagish First Nation garden harvest this year was the size of a pea. The spud might be tiny, but its ancestors travelled a long way to get here. The Lingít K'úntsx', or Tlingit potato, has been grown in Alaska for over 200 years.

Northern Farm Training Institute will test a range of potato varieties to see which do best in Northern Canada. This pilot project could approved earlier this month could improve food security.

As the first day of fall arrives, the potato crop in Canada is in varying stages of growth and/or harvest. The United Potato Growers of Canada provide an update.

Cavendish Farms’ new Potato Research Centre in New Annan, Prince Edward Island officially opened on September 17, 2020 with a ribbon cutting with Dennis King, Premier of Prince Edward Island, and company officials.

Many potato fields across Prince Edward Island are not in the condition they usually are at this time of year due to the hot and dry conditions for much of July and August.

A key requirement for a longtime potato storage is that the storage conditions match the needs and end use of the crop. These requirements of can be assessed before harvest by doing several test digs which allow to determine the distribution and level of tuber infection.

Crop sales in first half of 2020 topped CAD 200M despite COVID-19 pandemic. It has been on the wild side, but 2020 has started out well for Prince Edward Island farmers.

This fall RPE launches a new red-skin potato variety, RPE Golden Red. They will be available in a three-pound, poly light-blocker, bilingual bag.

Right now, parts of Eastern Canada are facing moderate to severe drought conditions. Rainfall is critical for this crop. In Western Canada, the crop is running behind schedule as processors push to get new crop harvest underway. Prairie yields currently look average at best.

Potato farmers in Atlantic Canada are worried about their supply with COVID-19 and extreme weather conditions causing complications.

EarthFresh’s Paper Revolution offers retailers a full potato product line in 100% compostable paper packaging.

The Canadian Potato Crop is in the 'growing stage'. There is a recurring theme from coast to coast: It is dry – the crop is not suffering yet because
it is in the early stages of development but does need rain soon.

New potatoes are a veggie lover's early-summer dream — the tender little spuds, some around the size of golf balls, others the size of a crabapple, melt in your mouth when steamed, buttered and lightly seasoned. Heaven. And they're now popping up at roadside stands across P.E.I.

Romain Cools, President, and CEO of the World Potato Congress Inc. (WPC) announces the appointment of three new Directors to its Board effective July 1, 2020: Dr. Nigel Crump, Australia, and Mrs. Elven Huang, China, both former WPC International Advisors, and Mr. Bret Nedrow, USA.