Export value increases for all U.S. potato types from July through December

U.S. potato exports surged higher from July through December.

The value of U.S. potato exports was up for all potato types in that six-month period, compared with the same months in 2021, according to data published by Potatoes USA.

The volume of U.S. shipments was also up for frozen and dehydrated potatoes but down slightly for fresh potatoes, according to the release.

U.S. fresh potato exports, including table-stock potatoes and chipping potatoes for processing, decreased in volume during these six months compared to the year prior. The volume of U.S. fresh shipments was down 8% but the value was up by 13%, again reflecting higher prices, the release said.

Now that the U.S. can ship potatoes beyond the roughly 16-mile border region in Mexico, there was a significant increase in volume (20%) and value (56%) for fresh exports to the market, the release said. 

Fresh shipments also increased by volume to Central America (up 37%), South Korea (up 40%), and the Philippines (up 64%). However, volume was down to several markets, such as Canada (28% decrease), Japan (48% decrease) and Taiwan (10% decrease), the release said.

For non-fresh potato types, the release said: 

• U.S. frozen potato export volume was up 0.6%, while the value of frozen exports was up further by 25% compared with the same six months in 2021.
• U.S. dehydrated potato exports for the July through December period were up 16% by volume and 29% by value.