Chip potato markets remain quiet ahead of the Christmas holiday. Plants continue to run almost exclusively on contract potatoes.
Both Ontario and Quebec appear to have smaller chip potato inventories than they held a year ago. Stats Canada reported that Ontario had 5.682 million cwt of potatoes left in storage on Dec. 1. This year’s stocks fell 538,000 cwt, or 8.7%, short of the 2021 inventory. Intended use data show a 178,000 cwt reduction in chip potato stocks, to 4.086 million cwt, a 4.2% decline. Quebec had 9.886 million cwt of potatoes in storage on Dec. 1. This year’s stocks dropped 846,000 cwt, or 7.9% below year-earlier holdings. Processing stocks (chip and frozen) fell by 27,000 cwt. Supplies should be adequate to carry the Canadian chip industry through the storage season. Chip companies may need to import more new-crop potatoes this year as a bridge to the 2023 crop.
U.S. packers shipped 1.586 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending Dec. 10. That is down from 1.898 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan’s reported shipments totaled 54,600 cwt of potatoes during the week ending Dec. 10. That is down from 75,000 cwt during the same week in 2021. Last week’s reported Michigan shipments were 96.0% Russets, 2.0% Yellow potatoes, and 2.0% Red potatoes.
Russets
USDA reported that Michigan packers are selling size A russets in 10-pound bags for $16-$17 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from last week. Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for mostly $14-$15 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling Russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $26-$32 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $37.24 per cwt. That is unchanged from a week ago.
Yellows
Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5# bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $19.50-$23.00 per bale, up from $19.50-$22.50 per bale a week ago. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $19.00-$23.00 per 50# box, up from $19-$22.50 per 50# box last week. Red River Valley packers are selling size A yellow potatoes in 2,000-pound tote bags for mostly $23-$26 per cwt, unchanged from a week ago.