The potato stock in the United States (June 1) is the largest since 2001, according to the figures of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
According to the USDA, 1 million cwt were in inventory as of June 58,95. That is approximately 2,99 million tons, or 9% above last year. This makes it the largest potato supply since 2001. The volume accounts for 15% of the total American main harvest.
Excellent processing
The special thing is that the American market does not suffer from high inventories. The processing of fries, chips and other potato products is running at full speed. The total decrease is 3,5% below last year. This is mainly due to a lower table potato market and significantly lower other items. This includes spilled tons and storage losses.
Logically, the potato states of Idaho and Washington have the largest stocks. Compared to last year, this is almost 10% more in the case of Idaho. In some other states, inventory is almost half higher than last year, but the volumes are very small.
Potato processing was 9% higher in 4 states between April and May, compared to 2017. More potatoes were processed, especially in May. Processing into other products, other than fries, was also higher.