Ottawa (Rural Roots Canada) – After four consecutive record harvests, Canadian potato production fell slightly in 2025 as drought conditions affected eastern growing regions, according to new Statistics Canada data.

Production dropped 0.9 percent from 2024 to 125.8 million hundredweight, with Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick seeing the biggest declines.

PEI saw production drop 15.9 percent to 21.8 million hundredweight after drought hit mid-season, while New Brunswick dropped 4.7 percent to 16.2 million hundredweight.

Victoria Stamper, general manager of United Potato Growers of Canada, said the season started strong before the weather turned unfavourable in mid-July.

“If you had talked to people in June, it was amazing across the country,” Stamper said. “Then those temperatures came, and the rain just stopped.”

The drought hit eastern provinces particularly hard because most farms rely on rainfall rather than irrigation systems. Only about 10 percent of PEI’s potato acres are irrigated, compared to western provinces where irrigation is more common.

“If Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate like it didn’t this year, it’s really difficult for them,” Stamper said about eastern growers.

The challenges have led to more discussion about expanding irrigation on the island, though the hilly terrain and soil conditions present unique challenges.

Despite the production drop, harvest conditions across the country were excellent.

RELATED: Canadian Farm Income Plummets 26% as Crop Prices Fall and Costs Rise

“Everyone’s saying quality is number one,” said Stamper, with nearly all planted acres making it out of the ground and into storage in good condition.

“When a grower can plant 1,000 acres and get 990 acres out of the ground, that’s a great thing,” she said.

Parts of northern Quebec and New Brunswick received enough rain while neighbouring areas remained dry, creating different outcomes even within provinces.

Alberta maintained its position as Canada’s top potato producer with 27.1 percent of national production, followed by Manitoba at 21.4 percent and PEI at 17.3 percent.

National seeded area reached 395,857 acres, the highest level since 2007. Alberta increased its planting area by 6.9 percent to 81,760 acres to supply a processor expansion that started up this year.

Average yields fell 3.0 percent nationally to 321.2 hundredweight per acre due to the eastern drought. PEI yields dropped 17.8 percent, while Alberta achieved the highest average yield at 423.5 hundredweight per acre.

Stamper said the fresh potato sector remains fairly stable with enough supply for Canadian markets, though the regional imbalance creates logistical difficulties.

“It’s not like in Europe, where you could move things around quite easily. It’s more difficult in North America to do that,” she said.

While yields were lower in the east, the overall quality of the harvest remained high across all regions, with potatoes storing well and maintaining their market value.