US: Potato industry works to regain ground after port losses

The Northwest potato industry is still working to recoup its losses from last year’s work slowdown at West Coast container ports, leaders say. Several regional and national industry leaders shared the outlooks for the year ahead during the Washington-Oregon Potato Conference in Kennewick, Wash. Blair Richardson, president and CEO of the U.S. Potato Board, said the industry put additional money into recapturing market losses from the port slowdown. In 2015, exports dropped by 20 percent from October to June. Following the increased effort to regain lost market share, exports increased by 19 percent during the July-November reporting period, he said. More