US: Potato growers can't keep up with 'red hot' global demand

“We're seeing a lot more European french fries and hash browns and Tater Tots in Asia than we ever have. And again, it's because we're just not able to keep up with demand,” said Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington Potato Commission. Washington's potato yields are down about 9% over a two-year period in an industry valued at $7.4 billion. The state has about 165,000 acres planted in potatoes. About 90% of the spuds grown in Washington are processing potatoes and "that's kind of unusual compared to most potato states in the country," Voigt said. “And the reason why we have such a high presence of processing here is because we just have consistent high yields and consistent high quality. And so all the potato processors are really drawn to our area.” But weather has been affecting these consistent yields. The state's last "normal weather" year was 2020, resulting in an average yield of 32.25 tons of potatoes per acre, Voigt said. The following year, the yield dipped to ...