N.C. sweet potato production rises to meet demand
N.C. sweet potato production rises to meet demand
Consumer demand in the United States for sweet potatoes has risen by 40 percent since 2008. With exports rising exponentially during the same period, North Carolina, a leading state in sweet potato production, has increased its volume to meet the demand.
“North Carolina’s growers and shippers have invested heavily in producing and marketing a quality product not just seasonally but every day throughout the year,” Jose Calderon, president of NCSPMC, said in a press release. “When the sales 'push' of North Carolina’s shippers is combined with the 'pull' created by the diverse marketing efforts of the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission in retail, foodservice and processing both at home and abroad the effect is an ever-increasing demand.”
As consumption of sweet potatoes keeps rising, North Carolina’s production also increases. The drastic drop in planted acreage for the 2013 crop was solely weather related and resulted in short supplies prior to the 2014 harvest. However, “Returning to normal quantities in 2014 has resulted in a 41 percent increase in shipments thus far and means more consistent pricing throughout the year,” Thomas Chancy, secretary of NCSPMC, said in the release. “The feast or famine effect of erratic supplies will dissipate.”
North Carolina growers and related businesses remain committed to producing an expanding supply of nutrient‐rich sweet potatoes as well as continually meeting the demands of today’s savvy customers across the globe.