Canada: Potato shipments to Puerto Rico could resume soon

The federal agriculture minister is optimistic the United States could approve the resumption of shipments of Prince Edward Island potatoes to the key market of Puerto Rico within weeks. Marie-Claude Bibeau and Island MP Lawrence MacAulay met with U.S. officials in Washington Thursday to discuss the ban imposed by Canada on exports of the potatoes in November following the discovery of potato wart in two P.E.I. fields. The fungal parasite spreads through the movement of infected potatoes, soil and farm equipment and poses no threat to human health but leaves the potatoes disfigured and can greatly decrease crop yields. "I'm very optimistic," Bibeau said in an interview Friday. "It went very well. We got the best outcome we could at this point in time." Bibeau said American officials have agreed to look at Canada's mitigation measures and make a decision on shipments of table-stock potatoes to Puerto Rico — where potatoes are not farmed — in the next week or two, followed by a ...