April Potato Stocks Up 10 Percent From April 2007
Disappearance from the start of harvest to April 1 was at 266 million cwt., 1 percent below last year but up 3 percent from 2006. Shrink and loss, at
21.6 million cwt., was down 3 percent from the same period in 2007 but up 7 percent from 2006.
Processors have used 140 million cwt. of 2007 crop potatoes so far this season, down 4 percent from last year’s season-to-date usage but up 5 percent from 2 years ago. Idaho and Malheur County, Ore., total processing decreased 2 percent from a year ago and Maine’s total processing was 5 percent below 2007. Washington and the rest of Oregon total processing was 5 percent lower than last season. Dehydrating usage accounted for 29.3 million cwt. of the total processing, down 9 percent from last year but 10 percent above the same period in 2006.
Western states held 102.7 million cwt. of potatoes in storage on April 1, up 18 percent from a year ago and 16 percent above 2006. Idaho’s potato stocks were up 10 percent from last year; Washington’s potato stocks were 55 percent above last year; and Oregon’s stocks increased 21 percent from April 1, 2007. California’s potato stocks decreased 25 percent from 2007, while Colorado and Montana stocks were both down 17 percent from a year ago.
Central states accounted for 24.4 million cwt. of all potato stocks on April 1, down 5 percent from a year ago but 20 percent above the same date in 2006. Wisconsin’s potato stocks were down 5 percent from last year; North Dakota’s stocks were 24 percent below 2007; and potato stocks in Nebraska were down 13 percent from the previous season. Minnesota’s stocks increased
5 percent from the same date in 2007 and Michigan’s potato stocks were 61 percent higher than a year ago.
Eastern states stored 6.5 million cwt. of potatoes on April 1, down 21 percent from a year earlier and 7 percent below April 1, 2006. Maine’s potato stocks were 19 percent lower than last year and New York’s potato stocks decreased 40 percent from a year ago.