For the third time, P.E.I. potato farmers growing on contract with Cavendish Farms have rejected an offer from the company.
The farmers, growing potatoes specially suited for french fries, would normally have a contract to sell their crop to the company before planting. This year, with the potatoes already growing in the hot summer soil, there is still no contract.
Close to 120 of 150 farmers who grow the process potatoes voted against the proposed deal during a meeting Wednesday night in Charlottetown. The contract would have paid farmers up to $9.25 per hundredweight (cwt), depending on the quality of their crop.
Growers in New Brunswick are receiving $8.81/cwt from McCain, and some U.S. growers are getting as little as $6.22/cwt. Potato growers are facing increasingly high costs, with prices for fuel and fertilizer up dramatically this year.
The growers and Cavendish Farms have until Aug. 15 to come up with a contract, otherwise the company can choose to deal with the process growers one on one or buy on the open market.
