News on The Potato Supply Chain from Canada

Statistics Canada released their first estimate of potato acreage in Canadaas a result of data obtained from their survey of potato growers in Canada.

The potato is one of the most important food crops in the world, a staple in meals for more than a billion people worldwide, and University of Manitoba (UM) is leading the way globally in the future of potato production and processing.

As of July 1, 2023, total Canadian Potato Storage Holdings are reported to be down 34.9% over 2022 numbers for the same period, and lower than the 3-yr. average.

The potato crop in Canada is in varying stages - from emergence to touching between rows. Potato growers everywhere are optimistic for the good growing conditions needed to move this crop in its early life stages.

Potato Growers of Alberta (PGA) announced today the release of its landmark study on the economic impact the potato industry in Alberta. The report, entitled The Alberta Potato Industry – Growing Success in 2022 outlines the significant growth of Alberta’s potato industry in recent years and documents its economic impact on our economy.

The increase in food prices is the result of a ripple effect throughout the supply chain. Farmers and producers experienced sharp rises in the prices of essential inputs like feed, fuel, and fertilizer, leading to a 16.1% increase in their operating expenses.

As of June 1, 2023, total Canadian Potato Storage Holdings are reported to be down 3.3% over 2022 numbers for the same period, and higher than the 3-yr. average.

Carrot Ventures is announced the launch of Cellar Insights. It is the second company emerging from Carrot's AgTech company formation model.

Authorization from the PMRA, following a thorough review of the company’s extensive data dossier, indicates a mutual understanding of the composition, potential and low risk of the RNAi technology.

Steve Watts from Genesis Crop Systems Inc. along with six farmers participated in the Living Labs Atlantic project to test out a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, also called enhanced efficiency nitrogen.

In a critical move towards advancing precision agriculture, AgTech startup Picketa Systems has successfully closed a CAD 1.445M (USD 1.059M) (Seed investment round. The funding will broaden the development and deployment of their real-time plant tissue analysis technology, called LENS™.

New numbers from the P.E.I. Potato Board show that on Prince Edward Island the acreage of cover crops grown before potatoes has doubled.

The 2023 Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention and Trade Show (CPMA 2023) held last week in Toronto is CPMA’s biggest show in its history with over 4200 people attending the event.

In 2014, Charlottetown-based research scientist Bourlaye Fofana was looking for a way to make plant products healthier by adding the antioxidant selenium.

The World Potato Congress Inc. is now calling for proposals from parties interested in hosting the 14th World Potato Congress to be held in 2028.

At the Annual General Meeting on March 13th, CEO of Kroeker Farms in Manitoba, Wayne Rempel was elected as the new Chair of the United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) after serving several years as the Secretary.

AgriShield®, a comprehensive risk assessment and planning tool created by Farm Management Canada, is the first and only Canadian risk management platform that meets the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) standards at the highest level – GOLD.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed its 2022 national survey for potato wart and confirms that potato wart was not detected in the soil samples tested from the fields where the samples were collected.