Portland, Ore. (KOIN) — Farmers in the Northwest are scrambling for ways to offload 165,000 tons of potatoes after overestimating the public’s demand for the root vegetable in 2023. With the average large russet weighing roughly 6 to 10 ounces, farmers in Oregon, Washington Idaho and Alberta, Canada are dealing with a combined surplus of 600 million potatoes.
Industry experts like Oregon Potato Commission Director Gary Roth told KOIN 6 News that Northwest farmers planted an additional 52,00 acres of potatoes in 2023 in anticipation of the rising demand seen during the pandemic. While the demand for potatoes remains steady, Roth said that farmers simply planted more potatoes than they can sell.
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