January 2002 Potato Release

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POTATOES

Released January 18, 2002
Seasonal
No. 987-1-02

NEW YORK POTATO STOCKS UP 16 PERCENT

Potato stocks held for all purposes on January 1, 2002 by New York growers, dealers, and processors totaled 2.20 million hundredweight (cwt.), up 16 percent from last year. The New York Agricultural Statistics Service estimated disappearance during the month of December at 700,000 cwt. compared with 800,000 cwt. a year earlier. Storage accounted for 37 percent of the 2001 potato production, up from last year's January 1 storage of 32 percent.

The 15 major potato States held 233 million cwt. of potatoes in storage January 1, 2002, down 15 percent from last year and 3 percent below 2000. Storage accounts for 59 percent of the 2001 fall storage States' production, down 1 percentage point from a year ago. This year's storage holds more russets, but fewer round and long whites than a year earlier.

Eastern States stored 14.2 million cwt. of potatoes on January 1, 2002, down 11 percent from a year ago and 16 percent below two years ago. Maine's holdings are down 15 percent and Pennsylvania's stocks are off 7 percent from last year.

Central States accounted for 55.2 million cwt. of potato stocks this January 1, down 9 percent from 2001 but 5 percent above 2000. North Dakota's stocks are up 4 percent, but the other five central States are down. Wisconsin's stocks are down 3 percent and Michigan's are 10 percent lower. Stocks in Minnesota are off 17 percent from a year ago and Nebraska's stocks dove 36 percent. Ohio's potato stocks are down 29 percent from this date a year ago.

Western States held 164 million cwt. of potatoes in storage on January 1, 2002, down 18 percent from last year and 4 percent below 2000. Idaho's potato stocks are down 15 percent from a year ago, while Washington and Montana are down 12 percent each. Oregon's stocks are off 33 percent and California's potato holdings are off 57 percent from a year ago. Colorado is down 25 percent from 2001.

Disappearance from the start of harvest to January 1, at 161 million cwt., is down 12 percent from the 2000 crop and 11 percent below two years ago. This is the lowest disappearance since 1993. December disappearance of 33.1 million cwt. is down 6 percent from a year ago and the lowest December disappearance in four years. Shrink and loss to this point in the season is 17.2 million cwt., down 19 percent from last year and 18 percent below two years ago.

Processing of 2001 crop potatoes totaled 81.0 million cwt. to January 1, down 15 percent from the 2000 crop and 11 percent below two years ago. In December, processors used 16.1 million cwt. of potatoes, down 4 percent from a year ago but 2 percent above two years ago.

FALL POTATOES: Production and Stocks on January 1, 2001-2002

State	Crop of 2000			Crop of 2001
State	Production	Stocks Jan. 1, 2001	Percent of Production	Production	Stocks Dec. 1, 2001	Stocks Jan. 1, 2002	January percent of production
	1,000 cwt.		Percent	1,000 cwt.			Percent
CA	3,741	2,100	56	1,113	1,000	900	81
CO	27,972	17,700	63	21,357	15,600	13,300	62
ID	152,320	101,000	66	127,980	95,000	86,000	67
ME	17,920	12,500	70	16,120	12,100	10,600	66
MI	14,963	6,900	46	14,030	8,200	6,200	44
MN	21,240	13,000	61	18,425	12,000	10,800	59
MT	3,503	3,250	93	3,040	2,950	2,850	94
NE	10,127	6,650	66	8,512	4,850	4,250	50
NY	5,964	1,900	32	5,942	2,900	2,200	37
ND	26,950	16,200	60	26,400	19,500	16,900	64
OH	1,134	170	15	984	220	120	12
OR	30,683	23,000	75	20,730	17,500	15,500	75
PA	3,510	1,500	43	3,173	1,700	1,400	44
WA	105,000	52,000	50	94,400	53,000	45,500	48
WI	33,800	17,400	51	31,955	20,000	16,900	53
15 States	458,827	275,270	60	394,161	266,520	233,420	59

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