U.S. Potato Stocks Drop

WASHINGTON - Feb 15/06 - SNS -- Potato stocks are down sharpy in the United States as of February 1, sitting at 188 million cwt (100 pound units), 7% below this time last year and 6% below 2004 levels, according to the USDA.

The 13 major potato States held 188 million cwt of potatoes in storage February 1, 2006, down 7% from last year and 6% below February 1, 2004, for comparable States. Ohio and Pennsylvania were dropped from the potato stocks program starting with the 2005 storage season.

Potatoes in storage account for 50% of the 2005 fall storage States' production, unchanged from last year. Stocks by type were 2% red, 9% round white, 2% long white (Shepody), and 87% russets, with a smaller percentage of reds and round whites but a larger percentage of russets than a year ago for comparable States.

Disappearance of 185 million cwt from the start of harvest to February 1, is down 6% from last year for comparable States. Shrink and loss, at 18.1 million cwt, is down 17% from last year for comparable States.

Processors have used 96.5 million cwt of 2005 crop potatoes so far this season, down 4% from a year ago and 6% below 2 years ago. Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon, total processing decreased 3% from a year ago and Washington and the rest of Oregon total processing dropped 7% from last season. Dehydrating usage accounts for 19.5 million cwt of the total processing, down 11% from both last year and the same date in 2004.

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