Potato yields down this year
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/11/2011 (4151 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
WINNIPEG — Lower yields put a dent in Manitoba’s potato production this year, according to preliminary estimates released today by Statistics Canada.
The federal agency said Manitoba farmers harvest 825,552 tonnes of potatoes, which was a decline of 4.4 per cent, or 38,102 tonnes, from 2010.
That was in spite of the fact they seeded 1,214 more hectares of land (29,543 versus 28,329) and harvested 809 more hectares of crop (28,329 versus 27,520).
The lower production number can be traced to lower average yields this year — 29.14 tonnes per hectare versus 31.38 in 2010. The agency did not offer an explanation for the lower yields.
It said Manitoba’s production this year was second only to Prince Edward Island, which harvested just under 1.1 million tonnes of potatoes. PEI’s production was also down from a year ago, when it produced just under 1.2 million tonnes.
Canada also saw a drop in potato production this year — down four per cent to 4.2 million tonnes from 4.4 million in 2010).
It also blamed the national decline on lower average yields — 29.83 tonnes per hectare versus 31.65 in 2010. It noted Canadian farmers also seeded and harvested more hectares of crop this year than in 2010.
