Terence Hochstein, executive director of the Alberta Potato Growers Association, says the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will see fewer spuds planted this year. (CHAT News photo).

By Alex McCuaig

Plenty of potatoes

Backlog of spuds will see less planted this year, says Alberta Potato Growers

Apr 29, 2020 | 2:34 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Bud the Spud won’t be heading down the highway smiling anytime soon as Canada faces a country-wide backlog of potatoes. And the character from the Stompin’ Tom Connors song won’t be tearing the tar off any highway in the near future either.

Terence Hochstein, executive director of the Alberta Potato Growers Association, says the region’s three potato processing facilities – Cavendish, Lamb-Weston and McCain’s – are all operating sporadically due to the backlog of fries in storage.

“The freezer capacity across North America is about a billion-and-a-half pounds of frozen french fries,” explained Hochstein. “It’s full!”

One of the biggest reasons for the situation comes from the fallout from COVID-19 as demand from fast-food outlets has plummeted as restaurants across the continent have been forced to close their dining facilities.

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He said the region’s processing facilities will be running over the next few weeks but are expected to close down again until the capacity is drawn down again.

But the immediate result of the situation will be fewer potatoes in the ground this year.

“Our business is upside down. We are still sitting on a third of our crop from last year. The 2019 crop is in storage. The processors are hoping to use this crop but it doesn’t look like we’re going to get it all used up,” said Hochstein. “We’re planting right now in southern Alberta but we’re going to reduce our acres by 25 per cent this year.”

He said the best-case scenario is demand rises over the next 12 months to the point where capacity is drawn down to normal levels. The worst-case scenario is the current backlog continues, which could see growers in a pinch come planting in the spring of 2021.

European potato farmers are also seeing the effects of the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with Belgium officials urging its citizens to eat french fries at least twice a week.