STOCKS UP FROM MAY 09

The 13 major potato states held 87.0 million cwt of potatoes in storage May 1, 2010, up 11 percent from a year ago.

Potatoes in storage accounted for 23 percent of the 2009 fall storage states' production, 2 percentage points above May 1, 2009. Klamath Basin stocks totaled 770,000 cwt on May 1, up 3 percent from a year ago. Klamath Basin stocks include potatoes stored in California and Klamath County, Ore. Potato disappearance, at 297 million cwt, was 2 percent above May 1, 2009. Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 26.6 million cwt, was up 19 percent from the same date in 2009.

Processorts in the nine major states have used 142 million cwt of potatoes this season, down 5 percent from the same period last year. Dehydrating usage accounted for 26.6 million cwt of the total processing, down 6 percent from last year.