It’s the International Day of the Potato, and two Manitoba potato organizations are marking the occasion.
Manitoba is North America’s fourth-largest potato producing region, a joint statement from Peak of the Market Ltd. and the Keystone Potato Producers Association noted in the lead up to the day.
WHY IT MATTERS: May 30 is marked down on the calendar every year as the International Day of the Potato.
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The tuber is a major export for the province. According to a trade profile put out by Manitoba Agriculture, prepared potatoes (such as frozen fries) were the second-largest agri-food export to the U.S. in 2024, worth $771 million. Across all export markets, Manitoba shipped $816 worth of prepared potatoes last year.
Manitoba is home to major processing facilities for both McCain Foods and J.R. Simplot. A sector profile put out by Manitoba Agriculture also notes Naleway Foods, Canada’s second-largest perogy and panzerotti company, and Old Dutch, both of which have processing facilities in Winnipeg.
By value, the province counts potatoes as its fourth biggest crop, and Manitoba grew 20 per cent of Canada’s potatoes last year.
The size of those markets, however, has also left the processing potato sector potentially exposed to U.S. tariffs.
The Keystone Potato Producers Association, which represents the province’s processing potato growers, has been working closely with major potato processors to strengthen and sustain the industry, according to general manager Susan Ainsworth.
“These growers are dedicated to producing top-quality potatoes through environmentally sustainable practices,” she said.
Table potato marketer Peak of the Market, meanwhile, said earlier this year that they are also watching tariffs, although the social push to buy Canadain was somewhat helping to bouy demand.
The grower-owned organization delivers fresh, Manitoba-grown potatoes to people across North America, said Pamela Kolochuk, the organization’s chief executive officer, in a press release May 29.
“Peak remains committed to supporting local agriculture and ensuring access to high-quality vegetables from seed to plate,” she said.
