Wada Farms touting quality North Carolina sweet potatoes

North Carolina sweet potato acreage is down but the quality is very good, reports Norman Brown, director of sweet potato sales for Wada Farms Marketing Group, Raleigh, N.C.

"Acreage is down from last year approximately 15% to 20%," Brown said. "As of right now, the yields are about average and the quality being harvested looks really good."

Harvest started at the end of August and will finish by mid-November, he said.

Wada Farms will have good volume of organic sweet potatoes, he said. "We are seeing more interest every year."

Brown said there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about sweet potato sales.

"It’s a great product with awesome health benefits and is becoming a much more everyday item than just a holiday item as in years past," he said.

The health benefits of the sweet potato are attracting younger consumers, he said.

"At one time it was the 60 and older crowd that consumed more, but as the health benefits of it gets more popular it looks like we are seeing the younger generation getting on the sweet potato band wagon," he said. 

Brown said Wada Farms will continue to make sure that its value-added lines stay updated, such as bagged, micro singles and steamer bagged. "That category has seemed to really increase since the pandemic started," Brown said.