Frost claims thousands of hectares in Canada

It was already stated earlier clearly that early frost would cause damage to potato crops in Canada. In addition to Manitoba, not all potatoes have been harvested around Alberta. For the second year in a row, growers in the country have to deal with this. On the other side of the border it is not much better stated. This also has an effect on Canadian industry.

4.800 hectares lost
Dan Sawatzky told the Canadian Press that approximately 12.000 acres of potatoes were left in the ground. Converted, you are talking about 4.856 hectares. Good for damage of $50 million. Sawatzky is a manager at the Keystone Potato Growers Association in Manitoba. 52 growers are affiliated with this.

Last year, the grower group had to leave 2.100 hectares of potatoes in the ground, which meant they could not fully fulfill the contracts. The growers were unable to meet the obligations and delivered almost 200.000 tons of potatoes too few. The grower organization is still in discussions with the provincial government to obtain financial support for this.

Thanks to a small improvement in the weather at the end of October, another 1.200 hectares could be cleared. Sawatzky estimates that the table and seed potatoes have been harvested, but not all the fries potatoes. Storage losses have also been detected because harvesting took place in low temperatures. This is bad news for Simplot and McCain, which have factories in Manitoba. Last year, potatoes were imported from Idaho to keep the lines running. A ride of almost 2.000 kilometers and 19 hours! Due to a smaller harvest there, this is not possible this season, which is why the factories are expected to use fewer processing lines.

Area expansion canceled out
The potato area in Canada increased by 5.000 hectares this year to 146.000 hectares. A record yield was expected. Rain and frost have thrown a spanner in the works, negating this area expansion. At the end of October, the total loss was estimated at 300.000 tons of potatoes.