According to a report from Statistics Canada, the domestic potato sector saw its highest levels of seeded and harvested area, average yield and production over the last five years. In 2023, there was 395,389 acres of seeded area, 385,368 acres harvested, 332.4 hundredweight per harvested acres (cwt) and more than 128 million hundredweight of production.
In October, the United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) predicted Canada’s 2023 potato crop would increase by 3.3 per cent overall compared to last year. The UPGC then slightly revised its estimates in November, saying overall production would be down from its previous prediction but still an increase over 2022.
Based on weather for harvest in October for the eastern provinces, as well as acres taken out of production in the west, UPGC sees overall production down close to 800 cwt from its earlier estimate, but still an increase of 2.6 per cent over last year and the highest ever for the country.
Despite decreases in the east, fresh sector potatoes should be readily available for domestic markets as pricing pressure due to oversupply in the pacific northwest continues to impact exports to the U.S.
P.E.I. has been fighting rain and now snow as they attempt to get the last few thousand acres into storage. Although not behind schedule as the province traditionally goes right out to Halloween, there has been some difficulty in the second half of the month getting into the fields.
The situation is similar in neighbouring New Brunswick. Although much closer to finishing harvest, they have had the same wet conditions as P.E.I. and Quebec throughout the growing season, with many saying the first three weeks of the month made the entire difference in the crop this year.
It is important to note that all seed areas across the country are reporting very good crops this year, even in Quebec, which was the hardest hit with precipitation, the seed sector further north was not as hard hit.
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Source: potatoesincanada.com