Chip potato markets are quiet. Demand is quite good for February. Movement is steady. Chip plants are running almost exclusively on contract supplies. Chip companies seem convinced that they have plenty of storage potatoes to keep plants running longer than normal. Florida contract volumes are down from last year. The crop is on schedule, but probably 10 days behind last year’s development pace. That could lead to lower yields for Florida’s 2021 potato crop.
Canada reports that it had 53.89 million cwt of potatoes in storage on February 1. That is 5.89 million cwt less than the year-earlier inventory, a 9.9% decline. The bulk of the reduction is in the Maritime Provinces, but stocks also are down from last year in Quebec and Alberta. Ontario growers held 3.787 million cwt of potatoes on February 1. That exceeded the year-earlier inventory by 422,000 cwt, a 12.5% increase. The Ontario inventory included 2.713 million cwt of chip potatoes, up 274,000 cwt, or 11.2%, from February 2020 holdings.
US packers shipped 1.656 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending February 6, 2021. That is up from 1.542 million cwt a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 50,695 cwt of potatoes during the week ending February 6, 2021. That is down from 51,200 cwt during the same week in 2020. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 68.0% Russets, 17.8% Yellow varieties, and 14.2% Round White potatoes.
Michigan packers are selling size A Russets in 10# bags for mostly $12.00-$12.50 per 50# bale, unchanged from a week ago. Wisconsin packers are selling size A Russet potatoes in 10# bags for mostly $9.00-$9.50 per 50# bale, unchanged for the week. They are selling 40-70 count Russet count cartons for $13.00-$14.00 per 50# box, also unchanged for the week. The weighted average shipping point price for new-crop Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $13.09 per cwt, unchanged for the week.
In the Red River Valley size-A Yellow potatoes are selling for mostly $26.00-$27.00 per cwt in 2000# totes, unchanged for the week.
Maine packers are selling 2 inch minimum Round White 10/5# film bags for $11.00-$11.50 per 50# bale, unchanged from a week ago.