Market Report December 15th, 2021

Potato truck

Chip potato markets remain quiet ahead of the Christmas holiday. Plants continue to run almost exclusively on contract potatoes.

Both Ontario and Quebec appear to have larger chip potato inventories than they held a year ago. Stats Canada reported that Ontario had 6.220 million cwt of potatoes left in storage on December 1. This year’s stocks exceeded the 2020 inventory by 1.240 million cwt, or 24.9%. Intended use data show a 679,000 cwt increase in chip potato stocks, to 4.264 million cwt, an 18.9% increase. Quebec had 10.732 million cwt of potatoes in storage on December 1. This year’s stocks exceeded the year-earlier holdings by 2.080 million cwt, or 24.0%. Processing stocks (chip and frozen) rose by 864,000 cwt. Supplies should be adequate to carry the Canadian chip industry through the storage season. Chip companies may need to import fewer new crop potatoes as a bridge to the 2022 crop.

US packers shipped 1.887 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending December 11, 2021. That is down from 1.921 million cwt a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 75,000 cwt of potatoes during the week ending December 11, 2021. That is up from 72,800 cwt during the same week in 2020. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 94.7% Russets, 2.4% Round White potatoes, and 3.1% Yellow potatoes.

Table potato markets remain extremely quiet. USDA reports that Michigan packers are selling size A Russets in 10# bags for $11.00-$11.50 per 50# bale, unchanged from a week ago. Wisconsin packers are selling size A Russet potatoes in 10# bags for mostly $8.50-$9.50 per 50# bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling Russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $16.00-$18.00 per 50# box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $22.70 per cwt, unchanged from last week.

Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5# bags of size A Yellow potatoes for mostly $17.50-$18.00 per 50# bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling 50# cartons of size A Yellow potatoes for mostly $18.00 per 50# box, also unchanged. Red River Valley packers are selling size A Yellow potatoes in 2000# tote bags for mostly $22.00 per cwt, unchanged from last week. Long Island packers are selling size A Yellow potatoes in 2000# tote bags for mostly $17.00 per cwt, unchanged from a week ago.

Long Island packers are selling size A Round White potatoes in 2000# tote bags for mostly $16.00 per cwt, unchanged from last week.