Potato growers on the Canadian island of Prince Edward Island are struggling with an extreme autumn. The growing season was already erratic and the harvest is now also hampered by excessive precipitation. At the beginning of November, a significant area is still in the ground.
Prince Edward Island, also called PEI, is the most important and largest potato growing area in Canada. The area in 2016 was approximately 33.700 hectares. This means that potatoes cover approximately 20% of the entire arable area on the island.
Harvest in November is unheard of
The PEI Potato Board estimates that 5.260 hectares still need to be cleared by early November. That is more than 15% of the total acreage, worth $50 to $60 million Canadian dollars. The reason for this is the extremely wet month of October. Potato growers have not experienced something this extreme in 50 years; October had only 6 days without rain, with an average rainfall of 165 millimeters.
The growers who are forced to stand still with their machines help colleagues where harvesting can take place. This is to get as much out of the ground as possible. In addition to the precipitation, the low temperatures don't help either. Arable farmers are particularly concerned about harvesting in November, because frost damage is a real problem.
PEI Potato Board says around 80% of the island's potatoes are insured. However, this does not alter the fact that growers face major losses because crop insurance does not cover the full cultivation costs, it reports.
Temperature drops
Spring was already difficult for growers on the island. The season started late due to rain and cold. This was followed by a dry summer, which made growth far from ideal. Low temperatures are expected for the province's capital, Charlottetown (maximum 2 degrees Celsius during the day and up to -7 degrees Celsius at night). However, less rain is expected, which means that frost is now the biggest problem for growers.