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Everyone loves Prince Edward Island potatoes and they are in demand around the world. Prince Edward Island is small, but its quality potatoes can hold their own in competition with the world's best.

P.E.I. farmers have been producing potatoes for the world since 1790. Today, potatoes are P.E.I.’s primary cash crop. Potatoes accounted for more than one-half of the total farm cash receipts in 2006, which is more than the combined value of all other Island crops. Prince Edward Island enjoys the reputation as Canada’s leading potato province, responsible for almost one-third of Canadian production.

Prince Edward Island potatoes are grown for three specific markets: seed, table potatoes, and processing. Seed potatoes are sold to commercial potato growers and home gardeners to produce next year's crop; table potatoes in the retail and food service sectors; and processing potatoes are manufactured into French fries, potato chips, and other processed potato products.

Over 50% of the potatoes grown on P.E.I. are used by the processing industry. Most are processed into frozen potato products, which are available across Canada and are exported to close to 30 countries around the world. The two world-class French fry processors in the province are Cavendish Farms and McCain Foods. Chipping potatoes (or crisps as they are known in the UK) are sold to potato chip processors within Canada or move in containers to several off-shore markets. A dehydration plant, owned by AgraWest Ltd., produces potato granules for further processing into many additional products.

In addition to the important Canadian market, seed and table potatoes are shipped to over 20 countries annually. Some customer countries are Venezuela, Italy, Ukraine, Portugal, and Thailand. While markets vary from year to year, over the past few years about 50% of our table potatoes have been sold in Canada, 20% have been marketed in the United States, and approximately 30% are sold to other countries.