Potato processors are rushing to buy supplies and ship them across North America in order to keep French fries on the menu after cold, wet weather damaged crops in key producers in Canada and the U.S. But growers in Manitoba, North Dakota and Minnesota received snow and rain, forcing them to abandon some supplies in fields. The combination will lead to tight supplies, and it’s likely that potato prices could climb this year across North America, Stephen Nicholson, a senior grains and oilseeds analyst at Rabobank, said. “French fry demand has just been outstanding lately, and so supplies can’t meet the demand,” Travis Blacker, industry-relations director with the Idaho Potato Commission, said. YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN...“It’s a manageable situation,” Kevin MacIsaac, general manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada, said.

Source: thestar December 02, 2019 14:11 UTC