04/25/06 Canadian potato growers organized

Gary Sloik says Canadian potato growers have one thing in common with their American counterparts. If they can't keep supply in line with demand more Canadian growers will go out of business. Sloik is a Manitoba grower and chairman of United Potato Growers of Canada, a group that has just added the provinces of Quebec and Saskatchewan. UPGC now represents 96 percent of the Canadian acreage with British Columbia the only province left out of the organization. SLOIK "So I think its must the matter of the next meeting that BC will also be on sight. So that's virtually all of the major potato producing provinces." Because provincial boards and organizations have a lot more authority the United Canadian campaign is different from the United of America effort. Only Prince Edward Island has called for a limit on potato acreage thanks in part to a buy out program. SLOIK "We see our prime objective of educating the growers and showing them what is happened in some of these other areas and what has happened in PEI as an example. And to start to gather some statistics and data that will show the growers that by working together we can all benefit." Sloik says they are trying to raise money for a campaign that will encourage Canadians to eat more potatoes. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott