Canada: Prince Edward Island potato farmers lose hope
"This is the worst year since 2001, and certainly the worst year of my career," says one farmer.
Potato farmers in Prince Edward Island are losing hope for their harvests this year, after a summer defined by a persistent drought.
Greg Donald, the general director of the island’s Potato Council, confirmed that the lack of rain was beginning to discourage farmers.
"The feeling was that if we have rain next week, it’s going to be fine," he says. "But weeks have become months."
Every week, his team does potato sampling, a process that consists in digging them up in order to verify their growth.
According to Greg Donald, the potatoes will be smaller than the average this year.
A batifole individual in an agricultural field.
’The fear is that because of the time too dry, that some varieties are running out of breath, or are dead,’ he says.
Producing an acre of potatoes costs 5,000 dollars, and even more for seed potatoes, says Greg Donald. He says that if farmers are unable to recoup that investment, they will be in trouble..
Fuente: Traducido por Argenpapa de:ici.radio-canada.ca
