Chip potato markets are quiet. Plants are running almost exclusively on contract potatoes. Contracting for the 2023 crop is moving forward slowly. Contract prices are up around 20% for those that have been settled, while contract volumes are mostly flat.
Quebec Potato Producers reported this week that the province held 1.241 million cwt of chip potatoes on January 1, versus 1.395 million cwt a year ago, an 11.0% decline. As we reported a week ago, Ontario held 3.669 million cwt of chip potatoes on January 1. The combined chip potato inventory for the two provinces totaled 4.910 million cwt. That is 344,000 cwt less than year-earlier holdings, a 6.5% decline.
U.S. packers shipped 1.630 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending January 21, 2023. That is down from 1.844 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan’s reported shipments totaled 55,800 cwt of potatoes during the week ending January 21. That is down from 83,500 cwt during the same week in 2022. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 91.9% russets, 5.6% yellow potatoes, 1.6% red potatoes, and 0.9% round white potatoes.
USDA reports 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# bags for mostly $14.00-$15.00 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 $36.22 per cwt. That is down from $36.97 per cwt a week ago.
Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5# bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $23-$26 per bale, up from $19.50-$23 per bale a week ago. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $23-$26 per 50-pound box, up from $19-$23 per 50-pound box last week. Red River Valley packers are selling size A yellow potatoes in 2,000-pound tote bags for mostly $25-$26 per cwt, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling yellow creamers in 50-pound sacks for mostly $30-$32, also unchanged.
– Report by North American Potato Market News