The 13 major potato States held 134 million cwt (6.81 million ton) of potatoes in storage April 1, 2018, up 2 percent from April 1, 2017, according to a USDA report released last week.
Potatoes in storage
Potatoes in storage accounted for 33 percent of the fall storage States’ 2017 production, 1 percentage point more than last year.
Fall Potato Production and Stocks – 13 Major States: April 1, 2017-2018
Stocks include processor holdings and most of the seed to plant following year’s crop. Seed usage for all seasons in 2017 totaled 29.9 million cwt
(Courtesy: USDA Potato Stocks)
Disappearance
Potato disappearance, at 266 million cwt, was down 3 percent from April 1, 2017. Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 19.3 million cwt, was 8 percent lower than the same time last year.
Potato Processing
Processors in the 8 major States used 146 million cwt of potatoes for the season, up 1 percent from April 2017.
Quantity of Potatoes Used for Processing – 8 States: 2016-2018;
Total quantity received and used for processing regardless of the State in which the potatoes were produced. Blank cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun.
