Potato growers see intense spike in demand
Prince Edward Island is the largest potato-growing province in Canada, with its Russet, red, white, and yellow varieties ending up on dining tables everywhere. But local producers weren’t ready for the demand required to satiate panic shoppers across North America: “The last two or three weeks have been anything but typical in the potato world,” Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board, told the CBC. Donald also emphasized that it wasn’t just farmers and packers feeling the crush. “Every link in that distribution chain is really fragile,” Donald said. Though upwards of 60 percent of PEI-grown spuds are usually processed into fries or chips, current demand for fresh potatoes far outweighs any other form.
