Potatoes in stock up ‘slightly’ from a year ago, according to USDA

Potato stocks in Idaho totaled 97.0 million cwt as of Dec. 1, 2020. Disappearance of the Idaho crop to date was 39.5 million cwt, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Dec. 17.

Dec. 1 potato stocks in Oregon totaled 22.4 million cwt. Disappearance to date was 5.50 million cwt.

In Washington, Dec. 1 potato stocks totaled 55.0 million cwt. Disappearance to date totaled 41.3 million cwt.

Nationally, the major potato-producing states held 270 million cwt in storage on Dec. 1, 2020, up slightly from a year ago. Potatoes in storage accounted for 65% of the states’ 2020 production compared with 63% a year earlier.

The indicated potato disappearance, at 145 million cwt, was down 7% from the same period last year. Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 13.2 million cwt, was 9% higher than the same time last year.

Processing

Processors in Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon used 27.195 million cwt of potatoes for the season, up 2% from Dec. 1, 2019.

In Washington and other Oregon counties, 31.930 million cwt of potatoes had been used by processors for the season, down 8% from the previous year. Processors in the eight major states used 71.9 million cwt of potatoes for the season, down 6% from Dec. 1, 2019.

Dehydrated usage accounted for 13.140 million cwt of the total potatoes processed, up 11% from the previous year.