The cost of packing Idaho’s most famous commodity, potatoes, has risen at least 36 percent over the past two years, according to a new report funded by the Idaho Grower Shippers Association (IGSA). The latter represents shippers, growers, marketers and processors of Idaho potatoes.
This is the first time this type of study has been done on the potato packing side of the industry and it’s likely that 36 percent increase is greater than the total increase over the previous 20 years combined.
The increased cost of packing spuds over the last two years hit potato producers ‘hard and quick’. Some claim they are facing abnormal price increases, to fertilizer and fuel and every other input, and packing warehouses are seeing the same thing.”
Source: potatonewstoday.com