Potato Review

www. tongengineering .com e: sales@tongengineering.com t: +44 (0)1790 752771 > Gentle Handling > Advanced Design > Intelligent Control INNOVATIVE DESIGN FROM FARM TO PACK TURNKEY PROCESSING SOLUTIONS OPTICAL SORTING IN-FIELD & ON-FARM UNRIVALLEDCLEANING&GRADING ADVANCED BOX HANDLING WASHING & POLISHING THE COMPLETE SOLUTION Designed with you in mind www.potatoreview.com INTERNATIONAL ‘Wart ndings exaggerated’ A POTATO wart find on Prince Edward Island was ‘blown out of proportion’ and common sense according to Ray Keenan, Chairman of the United Potato Growers of Canada. Prince Edward Island was excluded from cross-border trade since November 22nd last year because of the wart finding. Washed, sprout inhibited, table potatoes from non-restricted potato fields in the province are no longer allowed to be shipped and thereby purchased by consumers residing within the boundaries of the trading partner to the south or further abroad in the territory of Puerto Rico. But Roy, who lives in the area, says the wart was only found in two fields of processing potatoes that were grown in fields related to previous detections – similar to ongoing detection of potato cyst nematode in Idaho. Traditionally, Canada and the United States have shared for the most part, a seamless border on potato trade, supplying each other’s table, french fry, chip, and seed industry with reliable supplies of raw product for each other’s customers. In an online opinion piece, Roy said inquiries from US buyers indicated that fresh and processing customers needed the potatoes PEI was not allowed to ship and could be in short supply. Since December 23rd, CFIA has completed a cross-country, potato wart survey of all provinces in Canada that export potatoes to the US, with all tests, including PEI in areas outside of regulated fields, coming back negative, Roy points out. “There is of course a protocol in place via the Potato Wart Management Plan to prevent potential spread of soil or tubers from the potato regulated area – similar to protocols in the PCN management plan for regulated fields in Idaho and the Golden Nematode Plan for regulated fields in New York. “The comments that Canada is not keeping up with its testing are simply not true. A robust management plan for potato wart includes both soil testing and visual surveillance, unlike PCN which relies mainly on soil testing. This story of testing inadequacy is getting old and tired,” he said. 700 loads sent toLambWestonplant A PEI company brokered a deal to send as many as 700 tractor trailer loads of surplus PEI processing potatoes to a french fry plant in Alberta. The deal was put together by Terry Curley of Monaghan Farms, part of a working group set up to deal with the potato wart crisis. Because of the export ban, the Island potatoes headed to Taber, Alta, to a plant owned by Lamb Weston — one of the world’s largest processors of frozen french fries, with headquarters in Idaho. Struggling to meet orders POTATO importers in Puerto Rico say they are not able to fill their orders to supermarkets on the Caribbean island because they can’t get enough supply to fill the void created by the export ban on PEI potatoes. More than 80% of Puerto Rico’s potatoes would usually come from Prince Edward Island. President of Antunez & Son Produce, Mark Antunez, has been importing potatoes from PEI since 1988. He said his potato cooler had been filled with other vegetables, as he searches for more potatoes. Mark said: “There are about five or six big companies in Puerto Rico who supply the market, and there are no potatoes in the market.” Mark’s company has been receiving potatoes from New Brunswick, but has only been able to obtain one container instead of the requested three.