New-crop chip potato movement is starting to pick up. However, through May 17, reported new-crop shipments are down 47.7% from year-earlier movement. At 288,000 cwt, shipments from Florida are running 31.3% short of last year’s pace. New-crop shipments from the Southwest region (Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas) totaled 136,000 cwt, compared to 652,000 cwt last year. New-crop chip potato movement from the West Coast region is down 22.2%, to 418,000 cwt. Shipments during the week ending May 17 totaled 260,000 cwt, compared to 329,000 cwt during the same week in 2024.
Strong U.S. first-quarter exports of fresh potatoes and frozen fries were offset by reduced dehydrated product and potato chip exports. The U.S. exported a record 3.02 million cwt of fresh potatoes during the quarter, up 5.6% from the previous year. Most of the growth came in sales to Canada and Japan. The U.S. exported 69.85 million lbs of dehydrated potato products during the quarter, down 14.0%. The U.S. also exported 22.84 million pounds of potato chips (mostly product fabricated from potato flakes), 12.2% less than year-earlier exports. U.S. fryers exported 502.20 million lbs of frozen potato products during the first quarter, a 3.6% increase. On the other hand, U.S. frozen fry and other frozen product imports totaled 816.38 million lbs during the first quarter, down 1.5% from last year’s record import volume.
U.S. packers shipped 1.612 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending May 17. That is down from 1.727 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 32,060 cwt during the week ending May 17. That is down from 68,944 cwt shipped during the same week in 2024. Last week’s reported Michigan shipments were 77.5% russets, 14.0% yellow potatoes, and 8.4% round white potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for $9-$11 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for $13.50-$15 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $13.32 per cwt, unchanged from the previous week.
Florida packers are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for $19.75-$24.95 per box, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling yellow creamers in 50-pound cartons for mostly $40-$40.95 per box, also unchanged. They are selling size A yellow potatoes in 2,000-pound tote bags for $32-$42.90 per cwt, unchanged from the previous week.
Florida packers are selling 50-pound cartons of size A round white potatoes for $27.50-$32 per box, down from $30-$32 per box a week ago.
-- Compiled by North American Potato Market News