Denver – Across the globe, restaurants are back to operating at normal capacity, borders are opening for tourism, and many consumers are looking for high-quality, nutritious food options, all leading to strong demand for U.S. potatoes.
From July-September 2022, U.S. frozen potato exports were down nearly 4 percent by volume but up 13 percent by value compared to the same three-month period in 2021. The higher value number compared to volume is a commonality across potato exports of all types, reflecting inflation and price increases globally. Looking at a few markets specifically, frozen shipments decreased to China (minus 38 percent), Myanmar (minus 59 percent) and Taiwan (minus 7 percent). While volume was down overall, there were some increases in frozen shipments to international markets, including Saudi Arabia (24 percent) and the United Arab Emirates (134 percent).
U.S. fresh potato exports, including table-stock potatoes and chipping potatoes for processing, were also down this quarter in volume by minus 15 percent compared to July-September 2021. The value of fresh shipments, however, was up 7 percent. Fresh exports were up to some major markets, including Mexico, up nearly 7 percent. This export number for Mexico includes shipments to the country’s interior now that fresh U.S. potatoes can go beyond the 26-kilometer border region. Fresh exports also increased to the Central American region by more than 50 percent and South Korea by 180 percent.
U.S. dehydrated potato exports were up 1.4 percent by volume and 8 percent by value compared to this quarter in 2021, despite tight supply. Some of the major increases in dehydrated potato shipments were to Malaysia, up 124 percent, and Thailand, up 61 percent. Several markets saw decreases in dehydrated potato shipments, including Japan (minus 29 percent), South Korea (minus 50 peercent), and Taiwan (minus 78 percent).
While evidence of strong demand for U.S. potato products is coming in from across the globe, many markets report challenges in maintaining a consistent supply of U.S. potatoes.
However, in South Korea, importers report that the U.S. potato supply is stable now, and foodservice operators are looking for promotional support to launch new menu items with U.S. potatoes. In Myanmar, the foodservice and retail sectors are back to operating as usual. Importers in Myanmar reported that many foodservice operators have returned to using 100 percent U.S. potatoes at their restaurants.
For details on U.S. potato exports, see the attached spreadsheets. Here is the link to the export data https://potatoesusa.com/news-events/u-s-potato-export-value-increases-as-demand-rebounds/.