An early look at the fall Prince Edward Island potato season shows that the crop is a bit ahead of schedule. "We had a great planting season, and people finished earlier than normal," says Mark Phillips, marketing specialist with the P.E.I. Potato Board. "The weather has also cooperated well and there was also adequate moisture early in the growing season." He does note that conditions have been more dry recently though rain is forecasted.
While PEI is well known for its fresh table potatoes, first up are their new potatoes which have a thinner skin and are only shipped throughout the island. "Those have been ready since the end of June. The main crop doesn't really get harvested until late September and the harvest goes generally until the end of October," says Phillips, adding that a few growers in early sandier ground have begun digging new crop and shipping.
Good-sized potatoes
At this point, Phillips says the early bulking has started to happen and the plants are producing good-sized spuds. "We're in pretty good shape, especially if we get some rain in the near future," says Phillips. "People are cautiously optimistic."
As for demand, Phillips says that PEI has a pretty good place in the marketplace and is well-suited to fill that. "The external factors that people are most concerned about is if there's a big crop in other areas and that affects demand overall. There was quite a bit of oversupply in certain areas last year and it could repeat itself this year," he says, noting that PEI is still shipping some of the 2023-2024 potato crop, and that will conclude time for the new crop.
For more information:
Mark Phillips
P. E.I. Potato Board
Tel: +1 (902) 892-6551
[email protected]
https://www.peipotato.org/