PNW Potato Stocks Drop Slightly

According to NASS potato stocks in all three Northwest states dipped from 2021 to 2022. Potato stocks in Washington totaled 40 million cwt on February 1^st, down from the 45.5 reported a year earlier. Disappearance to date totaled 53.3 million cwt. Idaho potato stocks slipped to 70 million cwt, a drop from the 74 million cwt reported last year. Disappearance of the Idaho crop to date was 58.9 million cwt. February 1^st potato stocks in Oregon totaled 14.1 million cwt., off from the 15.2 million cwt reported in 2021. Disappearance to date was 12.3 million cwt.

All together the Northwest potato stocks totaled 124 Million cwt on February 1^st, 2022.

Nationally, the 13 major potato States held 198 million cwt in storage on February 1^st, down 3% year-over-year. Potatoes in storage accounted for 48% of the States' production last year, compared with 49% in 2020. The indicated potato disappearance, at 211 million cwt, was down 2% from the same period last year. Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 15.8 million cwt, was 2% higher than the same time last year.

Processors in Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon used 41.6 million cwt of potatoes for the season, down slightly from February 2021. In Washington and other Oregon counties, 49.7 million cwt of potatoes had been used by processors for the season, up 10% from the previous year. Processors in the 8 States used 114 million cwt of potatoes for the season, up 6 % from February 2021.