Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/407782
64 Potato Grower | NOVEMBER 2014 Still Growing Do you know how large U.S. potato exports are? I AM VERY PLEASED to report the value of all U.S. potato exports reached $1,755,544,515 for the recently completed July 2013-June 2014 marketing year. This is a 7 percent increase over the previous record set last year. The volume of exports increased 5 percent to 1,643,618 metric tons (MT). On a fresh weight equivalent (FWE) basis, this translates to 70,698,171 cwt. of potatoes exported out of the United States, a 7.5 percent increase. This volume represents just under 18 percent of total U.S. potato production last year. The increase in exports was led by a 10 percent increase in the value of exports of frozen potato products, followed by a 6 percent increase in dehydrated potato exports, a 6 increase in the value of fresh potato exports, and a 4 percent increase in seed potato exports. The only decline was a 4 percent drop in the value of potato chip exports. On a FWE basis, frozen potato products still account for 54 percent of total exports, followed by dehy at 27 percent and fresh potatoes at 14 percent. Over the past five years, frozen and dehy FROM THE BOARD By John Toaspern, Chief Marketing Officer, U.S. Potato Board exports have grown as a percentage of the total, at the expense of potato chips. The value of total potato exports has grown 50 percent in the past five years, with volume increasing by 34 percent. The top destination for U.S. potato exports remains Japan at $379 million, followed by Canada at $322 million and Mexico at $235 million. Exports to Mexico grew by 18 percent in the past marketing year. Korea has assumed the No. 4 spot from China, on a volume basis, with the Philippines experiencing the largest single- year growth at 39 percent to reach $81 million. After starting the year with losses in sales, exports of frozen potato products to Japan rebounded in the second half to finish up 3 percent in volume at 292,455 MT. Exports of frozen potato products to Mexico grew by 22 percent to 125,655 MT; the volume of exports to China declined by 2 percent to 94,132 MT. Exports to Korea continued the excellent growth of the past five years with a 13 percent increase to 87,552 MT, while the Philippines saw a 48 percent increase to 50,185 MT. Canada retained the top spot as a destination for dehy exports, with a slight decline to 33,070 MT while exports to Mexico grew by 4 percent to 23,284 MT. Exports to Japan rebounded to 22,170 MT, an increase of 12 percent after a decline the previous year. Dehy exports to Chile have taken off, with an increase of 71 percent this past year, for a total of 6,542 MT, while exports to the Philippines have grown even more, up 144 percent to 5,728 MT. Good growth to all top markets, except Korea and Taiwan, contributed to the overall increase of 14 percent in the volume of U.S. dehy exports. Exports of fresh potatoes to Canada, mainly for processing into either chips or frozen, was off 4 percent, while exports of fresh table-stock potatoes to Mexico declined 10 percent to 71,740 MT as a result of the increase in the price of U.S. potatoes in 2014. Exports of fresh chipping potatoes to Korea and Japan were virtually unchanged, as both these markets have reached a plateau given current market U.S. Potato Exports Value 1,600,000,000 1,200,000,000 800,000,000 400,000,000 0 '09/'10 '10/'11 '11/'12 '12/'13 '13/'14 CHIPS SEED FRESH DEHY FROZEN