Canada: Overproduction hurting Prince Edward Island potato industry

The Island’s staple potato industry may be experiencing a slump. At least one Island potato grower who attended the International Potato Expo on the weekend says farms like his are struggling to sell potatoes because there are just too many of them. “Overproduction is our biggest enemy, and until we have that straightened out, it’s going to be tough,” said Donald Godfrey. “We’re growing too many potatoes. There’s pressure on the market, they’re hard to sell and we’re not getting the prices we should be getting or the price we deserve.” A large part of the problem is out of the farmers’ hands, he said. That’s because the success of other potato producing regions directly affects how well the Island will do. “Look at a place like Idaho. Idaho grows more potatoes in a run of a year than all of Canada combined. If they have a big year, we’re in trouble,” he said. More