Potato importers in Puerto Rico say they are not able to fill their orders to supermarkets on the Caribbean island because they can’t get enough supply to fill the void created by the export ban on Prince Edward Island potatoes.
“We are in a bad, bad situation right now,” said Mark Antunez, president of Antunez & Son Produce, who has been importing from P.E.I. since 1988, as Nancy Russell reports for CBC News.
Antunez said his potato cooler is now filled with other vegetables, as he searches for more potatoes. Antunez said he had been receiving potatoes from New Brunswick, but they are not able to fill his request for three containers, sending him just one.
Antunez said there have also been delays when the shipments do arrive because of extra scrutiny from border authorities, including the USDA. “So it takes longer from the day that I received to supply my customers, to delivering the merchandise to my customers because of that — because the inspections.”
