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P.E.I. hopes to resume export of potatoes

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

P.E.I. hopes to resume
export of potatoes
The P.E.I. port of Summerside may begin exporting
tablestock potatoes again this winter.

December
15, 2010, Summerside, PEI – The P.E.I. port of Summerside may begin exporting
tablestock potatoes again this winter.

Earl
Smith of the P.E.I. Potato Exporters says the opportunity exists to reclaim
some of the Island’s potato export market.

In
the past, the local port had been a major player in exports to seed potato
markets worldwide, but those markets are now gone and chances are slim that
they can be reclaimed.

But
Smith said there is opportunity for tablestock shipments to countries such as
Russia, which is currently purchasing large quantities of potatoes in Europe.

Smith
says when those early stocks are “cleaned up” there could be an opportunity for
the Island.

He
says the port should be active before the spring, although it’s unlikely
Summerside will achieve the heights of exporting it reached in the past.