Potato shortfall leaves some fry shacks short of essential ingredient

Some businesses that need a steady supply of potatoes — like fresh-cut fry shacks — are having problems sourcing their key ingredient.

Caron Prins — the Queen of Fries — who has a chip shack at Peake's Quay says her supplier ran out of last year's larger potatoes a couple of weeks ago. She said he's been able to find her some smaller new potatoes which make smaller fries, but she's just happy to keep serving.

It's been reported at least one Cape Breton food truck has had to shut down because they can't get 50-pound bags of potatoes from P.E.I.

'Just a matter of time'

Kevin MacIsaac, general manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada, says the shortfall is being caused by several factors.

He said suppliers have moved through last year's potatoes earlier than usual because there were fewer of them and there has been higher demand.

He says at the start of July, there were 20 per cent fewer potatoes available compared to the same time last year.

"Most people I know are finished packing their old supply," MacIsaac said.

The only thing probably, that saved some grace this year is that the crop was so late being planted, it wasn't very mature when all of the heat-stress and the drought-stress hit it.— Kevin MacIsaac, general manager, United Potato Growers of Canada

Weather was another factor as in some years the early crop of new potatoes would be ready by now and available in substantial volumes. That isn't the case this year because planting was delayed due to a cold spring in P.E.I. and frost in Nova Scotia, MacIsaac said.

He added he thinks the crop is seven to 10 days behind the normal timeline, but said sometimes the crop can catch up with the right weather conditions.

"They will be available, it's just a matter of time. There's all sorts of growers harvesting now starting up in lots of different provinces, so the new crop will come on it's just getting started now," MacIsaac said.

Prices up

Less supply means prices are way up — by more than 40 per cent, MacIsaac said. Demand is up for both fresh and processed potatoes.

He's hoping prices will stay up for farmers' sake, but said they might drop as more new potatoes are harvested.

The situation isn't as bad as it was in 2001, when a major drought dropped potato yields by 50 per cent, MacIsaac said.

'A crucial stage'

P.E.I. has received large amounts of rain recently, which MacIsaac said came just in time for the Island's potato crop — he said the industry was "headed for disaster" after a hot, dry summer with very little rainfall.

"The soil was so dry.... It really just stopped the crop from dying is what it did," MacIsaac said. "We were at a crucial stage."

The delay in planting this year's crop was actually a good thing in hindsight, he said. 

"The only thing probably, that saved some grace this year is that the crop was so late being planted, it wasn't very mature when all of the heat-stress and the drought-stress hit it. So sometimes that's better than when the crop is further along," he said.

"Once it got rain, it was able to pick itself up again."

More P.E.I. news