At 4.861 million cwt, new-crop chip potato shipments, through July 5, are running 30.8% behind the 2024 pace. Movement in most growing areas is down from last year. At 1.512 million cwt, Florida’s chip potato shipments are running 17.0% short of 2024 movement. The West Coast region has shipped 1.482 million cwt of new-crop chip potatoes, down 26.6% from a year earlier. North Carolina growers have shipped 765,000 cwt of chip potatoes so far, down 28.1% from the previous year. Shipments from the Southwest region are running 58.6% behind last year’s pace, at 456,000 cwt. Shipments from the Mid-Central region total 342,000 cwt, down 35.5% from a year ago. The Rocky Mountain region has shipped 163,000 cwt of new-crop chip potatoes, down 35.4%. Shipments from Georgia and Virginia are picking up. The Red River Valley was still shipping storage potatoes last week, but those supplies are nearly cleaned up. Storage chip potato supplies in Wisconsin and Michigan have been exhausted.
Canada reports that it still had 15.4 million cwt of potatoes from the 2024 crop left in storage on July 1. That nearly matches the year-earlier inventory. Most of the remaining supplies are intended for frozen processing. However, Ontario reported that it had 315,000 cwt of chip potatoes left in storage on July 1. That is down from 443,000 cwt a year ago. At the June usage rate those potatoes would be cleaned up by July 17. Quebec reported that it had 929,000 cwt of processing potatoes (frozen and chip) in storage on July 1, up from 723,000 cwt in 2024.
U.S. packers shipped 1.269 million cwt of table potatoes during the holiday-shortened week ending July 5. That is down from 1.404 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 30,455 cwt during the week ending July 5. That is down from 35,875 cwt shipped during the same week in 2024. Last week’s reported Michigan shipments were 89.7% russets, 7.4% yellow potatoes, and 3.0% round white potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for $9.50-$13 per 50-pound bale, up from $9-$11 per 50-pound bale a week ago. They are selling 40-to-70-count cartons of russets for $15-$20 per 50-pound box, up from $14-$15 per 50-pound box last week. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Burbanks is $14.68 per cwt, up from $13.46 per cwt the previous week.
Virginia packers are selling 50-pound sacks of size A yellow potatoes for $19.50 per sack, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling size A yellow potatoes in 2,000-pound tote bags for $36.00 per cwt, also unchanged.
Virginia packers are selling 50-pound sacks of size A round white potatoes for $17.50 per sack, down from $19.50 per sack last week. They are selling 50-pound sacks of round white chef potatoes for $23.50 per sack, unchanged from a week ago. Virginia packers also are selling size A round white potatoes in 2,000-pound tote bags for $36 per cwt, also unchanged.
-- Compiled by North American Potato Market News