Market Update

California Sweet Potatoes

February 22, 2008

Market Snapshot

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was reporting the following terminal market prices for 40-pound cartons of medium-size, U.S. No.1-grade California sweet potatoes:

Baltimore: garnet variety, $31-34; Boston: beauregard variety, $40; garnet variety, $48; Dallas: beauregard variety, $23-24; hanna variety, $31-32; New York: oriental variety, $35.

*Prices from USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service Fruit & Vegetable Market News, Feb. 20.

The Shipping Scene

Supplies of California sweet potatoes are tighter this season than last, but plenty of product should be available for Easter, though prices may be a bit higher than usual, grower-shippers say.

A supply gap likely will occur at some point later in the season, said Dodie Gauger, sales representative at Classic Yam Inc., Livingston. Exactly when that might happen will depend on how heavy the Easter pull is.

A late-season gap is good for the startup of the new crop, but grower-shippers don't want that gap to be too wide.

"We want to be able to supply our customers as long as possible," Gauger said.

Easter is the last of three main holiday pushes for sweet potatoes, along with Thanksgiving and Christmas, she said.

So far, quality on this year's crop has been "great," she said, "there's just not enough of it."

The supply was lighter on mediums and jumbos than on U.S. No. 1-grade sweet potatoes this season, but now supplies of No. 1-grade product are getting tighter, and that is resulting in higher prices, which is good news for growers, she said.

In California, white-flesh varieties, like o'henry and golden sweet, usually are referred to as sweet potatoes, and yellow-flesh varieties, like beauregard and diane, are called yams, Gauger said. Both kinds still are available.

Volume of California sweet potatoes likely will be short during May and June, said Bob Wiemer president of the Sweet Potato Council of California, Livingston, and partner in Wiemer Farms, Atwater.

California growers had about 11,000 acres of sweet potatoes for the 2006-2007 season and expect to have 12,500 to 13,000 acres for 2007-2008, Wiemer estimated.

July may see a weak push, depending on weather, but growers don't expect to have a substantial crop until August.

The development of sweet potatoes is based on how much heat they receive, Wiemer said. They require 90 days of warm weather to produce. With planting not occurring until late April, they will barely hit the 90-day minimum by the end of July.

Some growers will dig as early as possible if supplies are short in order to reestablish the market, he said. Others will dig early if prices are high enough.

So far this year, quality has been "decent," Wiemer said, and sizing is good. Smaller potatoes have been sent to processors, leaving nice, mid-range potatoes for fresh market.

Although Easter always has been a decent sweet potato holiday, Wiemer said the Easter boost isn't as significant as it once was because year-round consumption has increased.

"Everyone seems to be marketing on a regular basis between the holidays," he said.

Even the oriental sweet potatoes marketed by Livingston Farmers Association in Livingston are in shorter supply than last year, said Raul Aguilar, sales manager.

Some growers planted less acreage this year, he said, and some have experienced quality problems, which likely will be rectified next season when they plant improved seed varieties.

Supplies should start to tighten in two to two-and-one-half months, Aguilar said. Growers try to finish the season by mid-May to ensure the best quality product. Quality may begin to deteriorate after that time if a grower-shipper's facility lacks optimum storage conditions.

Oriental sweet potatoes are especially popular among Asian consumers and are different from conventional product, Aguilar said. For example, they tend to have a drier texture when they're cooked.

(By Tom Burfield, Western correspondent for The Packer. The Packer and Red Book Credit Services are part of food360º, a division of Vance Publishing Corp., Lincolnshire, Ill.)

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