Potato Market Information Review 2024-2025

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Table of contents

• Overview
• 1. Production
  • 1.1. Canadian potato production
    • 1.1.1. Seeded area by province
    • 1.1.2. Harvested area by province
    • 1.1.3. Potato production by province
    • 1.1.4. Average yield by province
  • 1.2. Number of potato farms in Canada
  • 1.3. Top 50 registered seed potato varieties grown in Canada, total area accepted in 2024
  • 1.4. Total area of registered seed potato varieties grown in Canada – hectares accepted 2020-2024
• 2. Canadian potato storage holdings
  • 2.1. Canadian potato storage by province
  • 2.2. Canadian potato storage
  • 2.3. Intended utilization of potatoes by province
  • 2.4. Percentage of intended utilization of potatoes – total
  • 2.5. Percentage of intended utilization of potatoes by province
• 3. Revenue and prices
  • 3.1. Potato farm cash receipts (CAN$ ‘000)
• 4. Potato availability
  • 4.1. Potatoes available in Canada
  • 4.2. Potatoes available in Canada adjusted for losses
• 5. Trade
  • 5.1. Canadian potatoes trade balance
  • 5.2. Canadian potato exports
    • 5.2.1. Fresh potatoes
      • 5.2.1.1. Fresh potato exports by province, value
      • 5.2.1.2. Fresh potato exports by province, quantity
      • 5.2.1.3. Fresh potato export destinations, value
      • 5.2.1.4. Fresh potato export destinations, quantity
    • 5.2.2. Seed potatoes
      • 5.2.2.1. Seed potato exports by province, value
      • 5.2.2.2. Seed potato exports by province, quantity
      • 5.2.2.3. Seed potato export destinations, value
      • 5.2.2.4. Seed potato export destinations, quantity
    • 5.2.3. Frozen potatoes
      • 5.2.3.1. Frozen potato exports by province, value
      • 5.2.3.2. Frozen potato exports by province, quantity
      • 5.2.3.3. Frozen potato export destinations, value
      • 5.2.3.4. Frozen potato export destinations, quantity
    • 5.2.4. Other processed potatoes
      • 5.2.4.1. Other processed potato exports by province, value
      • 5.2.4.2. Other processed potato exports by province, quantity
      • 5.2.4.3. Other processed potato export destinations, value
      • 5.2.4.4. Other processed potato export destinations, quantity
    • 5.2.5. All potato products
      • 5.2.5.1. Exports of all potato products by province, value
      • 5.2.5.2. Destinations of overall potato exports, value
  • 5.3. Canadian potato imports
    • 5.3.1. Fresh potatoes
      • 5.3.1.1. Fresh potato imports by province, value
      • 5.3.1.2. Fresh potato imports by province, quantity
      • 5.3.1.3. Fresh potato imports by country of origin, value
      • 5.3.1.4. Fresh potato imports by country of origin, quantity
    • 5.3.2. Seed potatoes
      • 5.3.2.1. Seed potato imports by province, value
      • 5.3.2.2. Seed potato imports by province, quantity
      • 5.3.2.3. Seed potato imports by country of origin, value
      • 5.3.2.4. Seed potato imports by country of origin, quantity
    • 5.3.3. Frozen potatoes
      • 5.3.3.1. Frozen potato imports by province, value
      • 5.3.3.2. Frozen potato imports by province, quantity
      • 5.3.3.3. Frozen potato imports by country of origin, value
      • 5.3.3.4. Frozen potato imports by country of origin, quantity
    • 5.3.4. Other processed potatoes
      • 5.3.4.1. Other processed potato imports by province, value
      • 5.3.4.2. Other processed potato imports by province, quantity
      • 5.3.4.3. Other processed potato imports by country of origin, value
      • 5.3.4.4. Other processed potato imports by country of origin, quantity
    • 5.3.5. All potato products
      • 5.3.5.1. Imports of all potato products by province, value
      • 5.3.5.2. Imports of all potato products by country of origin, value
• 6. World data
  • 6.1. World production
    • 6.1.1. World potato production
    • 6.1.2. A Comparison: United States production statistics
  • 6.2. World trade
    • 6.2.1. Top 20 importers of fresh potatoes worldwide
    • 6.2.2. Top 20 exporters of fresh potatoes worldwide
    • 6.2.3. Top 20 importers of seed potatoes worldwide
    • 6.2.4. Top 20 exporters of seed potatoes worldwide
• 7. Key resources

Overview

Potatoes are the fifth largest primary agriculture crop in Canada (after canola, wheat, soybean, and corn), contributing approximately $2.1 billion in farm cash receipts in 2024. The value of potatoes and potato products exports rose 2% from 2023/2024 to reach over $3.7 billion in 2024/2025^Endnote1. In addition, potatoes are the largest vegetable crop grown in Canada, accounting for 29% of all vegetable farm cash receipts^Endnote2 and 17% of all horticultural farm cash^Endnote3 receipts.

Potatoes also make a significant contribution to provincial agricultural sectors; for example, in 2024, potatoes contributed nearly 35% of the total farm cash receipts in Prince Edward Island, and 18% of the total farm cash receipts in New Brunswick. Manitoba and Alberta also have sizable potato sectors with higher total potato farm cash receipts than both Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick; however, potato farm cash receipts represent only 5% and 2%, respectively, of the total farm cash receipts for Manitoba and Alberta.

In Canada, potatoes are generally planted in the spring and harvested throughout the late-summer and fall. Potatoes are produced for 3 uses: seed, table market, and processing (frying, chipping, dehydration and others) and the relative importance of each sector differs greatly by province. Each category is comprised of unique end-uses and markets.

In 2024, potato growers across Canada produced approximately 5.8 million metric tons of potatoes. Canadian potato production is truly national, with production distributed across the country from coast-to-coast. Production on an area basis is distributed as 34% in Atlantic Canada, 19% in Central Canada, and 48% in the Prairie provinces and British Columbia. The main producing provinces by volume were Alberta (24%), Manitoba (21%), Prince Edward Island (20%), New Brunswick (13%), Quebec (12%), and Ontario (7%).

Approximately 69% of the total production in 2024 was destined for the processing sector, 20% for the fresh/table sector, and 11% for the seed sector. Most processing potatoes are used to produce French fries, chips, and other processed potato products. The main French fry processing provinces, by volume, are Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, while Ontario has the largest potato chip sector. Processing plants are usually located close to where production occurs. These processors offer contracts to potato growers for production of the quantities and varieties required, in advance of the growing season. Most growers have state-of-the-art storage and are responsible for keeping good quality potatoes as required by the retailers and processors.

Approximately 150 seed potato varieties are registered in Canada for commercial production. Alberta (27%), Prince Edward Island (24%), Manitoba (15%), Quebec (10%), and New Brunswick (11%) were the largest seed potato producing provinces in 2024.

Canada is a net exporter of potato and potato products and the U.S. is by far the most important market for Canadian potatoes. In 2024/2025, Canada exported $3.7 billion worth of product: $53 million of seed potatoes, $511 million of fresh potatoes, $2.7 billion worth of French fries and $458 million of other processed potato exports to all countries.

In 2024/2025, the U.S. market represented 95% ($50 million) for seed, 93% ($475 million) for fresh and 90% ($2.5 billion) for French fry exports. During the same period, Canada imported a total value of $462 million worth of potato and potato products from the U.S., accounting for 86% of total imports from all countries ($538 million). Of that total imported value, $439 million was in processed potatoes ($139.5 million for frozen French fry and $299.6 million for other processed potatoes). The remaining $99 million was in fresh potatoes ($82 million for table stock potatoes and $17 million for seed potatoes).

Canada accounts for approximately 2% of global potato production. China is by far the leading producer of potatoes with 25% of world production, followed by India (15%) and Ukraine (6%).

Worldwide, Canada is among the top 10 exporting countries for table stock and seed potatoes. In 2024, in terms of value, Canada ranked 4th in table potato exports, totaling $511 million, and ranked 8th in exports of seed potatoes with a value of $55 million.

Conversely, Canada ranked as the 28th largest importer of table potatoes in terms of value at $73 million and ranked 22nd globally for seed potatoes with imports totaling $14 million.

Belgium was the largest importer of table potatoes while Egypt was the largest importer of seed potatoes. In terms of value, while France was the largest exporter for table potatoes and Netherlands was the largest exporter of seed potatoes.

1. Production

1.1. Canadian potato production

1.2. Number of potato farms^Note1 in Canada (2011, 2016 and 2021)

2.2. Canadian potato storage

Canadian Potato Storage Crop Years: 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 (hundreds of metric tonnes per month)

Source: AAFC (Infohort)

2.4. Percentage of intended utilization of potatoes – total

2024/2025 Intended utilization of potatoes

Note:
Storage holdings as of December 1, 2024.
Source: AAFC (Infohort)